Lost and Found
by the.nerd.voice
Summary: Collaboration with KYGirlXX. What if the timing of things was altered ever so slightly? What if people realized their love for one another sooner? What if people returned from the dead later? What if disease grabbed hold at an alarming rate? Timing is everything.
1. Chapter 1

He laid in the bed beside the woman, his eyes never leaving her body that was partially hidden underneath the sheets. Her bare back was turned towards him and her bald head was resting on the pillow; Laura was fast asleep. Lifting up his wrist, he glanced at his watch to check the time and sighed, knowing they both would have to get up soon- or at least he would anyways. Bill hated the fact she was sick, he would have done anything and everything in his power to take away her illness and keep her there with him forever. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder and different areas of her back until she began to stir. Wrapping his arm around her body, he pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head.

"Morning," she spoke in a groggy, weak voice as her mouth formed into a smirk. Her eyes opened and she rolled over to where she was facing him and yawned a bit, "How long have you been up?" She asked as her hand rested on his chest.

"Not long.." He said shaking his head and leaned in capturing her lips with his.

Groaning a little, she pulled back and smiled, "You need to get ready, Admiral.." Her voice was quiet. Laura was on bed rest, little to no people had seen her for the past few days and Bill was trying his hardest to get her back on schedule of managing the presidency and getting her treatment but of course, Laura was stubborn.

"I know what I need to do, but what I want to do is something different entirely." His voice rough, just like the stubble on his chin. Bill smirked, something about the candlelight against her skin made her even more beautiful which he didn't think would ever be possible.

"Get your lazy ass out of this rack, Admiral." Laura watched him closely, lifting her hand to trace the pox marks to his face that he sustained from a few shattered Viper windows in his day which had only set in over time.

"Madame President, you can't use my line, please become a bit more original." He said smirking and turned his head to the side, pressing his lips against the inside of her palm and pulled her body closer to his.

"Ah." Her voice raspy, though she didn't know if it was from illness or sheer exhaustion, bliss written all over her face, "Admiral, while I admire your dedication to the task at hand, I do know that you have other priorities. Protecting the human race being a prime concern of mine, as you know..."

"Yes, but did you know that I still have about an hour before I need to head down to the CIC?" He asked looking into the sea-green colored hues that he had spent many moments getting lost in. Bill reached over onto the nightstand and grabbed a hold of his glasses, slipping them on before turning his attention back to the woman laying beside of him.

"How about some breakfast?" He asked, stealing a small kiss from her lips and got out of the bed. Walking over to the bathroom, Bill turned the light onto the low setting and began to brush his teeth while getting his razor and shaving cream out of the drawers. Once he was finished he walked back out to his closet and put on his navy blue uniform, his eyes glancing over at Laura who was still laying in the bed.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked as he went over to the small kitchen area he had in his room and picked up the woman's mug and favorite tea she had brought over. Taking a napkin, he wiped off the lipstick that was coated onto the side and began to prepare her drink. Bill needed coffee in the morning, Laura had tried many times to get him to make the switch but he just could not do it. Once her drink was ready, he moved over to the bed and placed it on the nightstand, sitting down next to her as he waited for his coffee to finish.

She slowly pushes herself up, uneasily, leaning against the wall at the head of the rack. "Thanks," Laura croaks, letting the smell of bitter tea leaves fill her nostrils before wrapping her fragile hands wrap around the warm mug. Her hands always seemed to be cold anymore, to the point where they could sometimes be numb, "After all these years, it's still hard not to have milk or cream to put in this." She smirks, picking her head up, she catches him staring at her. "I love watching you put on your uniform," resting the mug on her lap, which was still covered with the sheet, she reaches her hand to his lapel, adjusting a pin that had turned sideways, "Like a holy experience." Laura giggles softly to herself, never removing her eyes from the man she loves, "I must look a sight."

Bill watched as she sat up and didn't answer his question, although he didn't want to say anything knowing it would upset the woman, he was worried about her habits. Not eating, sleeping all the time or none at all, not even taking her medication. "You have to eat.." He said watching her hand move the pins that he received from the woman when he was made Admiral. He smiled whenever he heard her laugh and shook his head back and forth slowly, "You look gorgeous. Don't ever think any different." He said picking up her hand and kissing the top of it, warming the cool skin up with his palm. He could remember one of the first times he ever sat next to her bedside, and the exact discussion they had.

"_What can I get you?" He asked quietly, staring down at the brunette who had her hand over her face._

"_A new body, perhaps one of those young models from the Cylon Resurrection Ship." She said with a smirk on her face as she coughed a little._

_Thinking a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and looked into her eyes, "I couldn't see you as a blonde."_

_With the smirk still on her face, she raised her eyebrows and laughed softly, "You'd be surprised."_

He remembered helping her up from the chair as she had to go to a doctor's appointment and that was the moment he kissed her for the first time. Just a light peck on the lips, and from that moment he was hooked.

Laura tilts her head to the side, shaking it slightly, "I have no appetite...therefore, I'm not hungry." She smirks, "I'll eat when I'm hungry." A part of her almost wanted to just waste away. She loved this man so much, but she knew she wasn't going to walk away standing from this battle, she didn't want to anymore. It was her choice now. Earth was a bust and she was making calls for herself for a change. A part of her wanted this to end quickly, but the other part of her wanted to wage war once more out of sheer love for this man.

Listening to her response about the food, he nodded his head up and down and stood up from the bed, walking back over to coffee pot. Picking up his mug, he poured the hot liquid into the glass and looked around on the countertop. Grabbing a banana, he walked back to the bed and sat in the same spot as before and took a drink. Opening up the peel, he tore a little off and placed it in Laura's hand smiling a little, "For when you get hungry." He said smirking a little and continued to eat the rest of the piece of fruit. Tossing the peel in the wastebasket, he opened up the drawer on the nightstand and pulled out a small box.

"Before I forget, I got you something.." He said as he opened it up and placed it on her lap. "I know it's your favorite color, and it's my favorite color on you so I thought you might like it." He said as he removed the tissue paper covering the purple scarf, knowing she much preferred that then having to wear the wig.

"Purple is your favorite color?" She smirks, reaching her hand to the box slowly and pulling the scarf from it. It seemed to take everything in her power for tears not to come to her eyes. The disease causing her defenses to fall a great deal. Laura holds it up slowly, examining the detail, "Bill, this is beautiful."

"It's my favorite color on you, Madame President," he said smiling a little as he watched her pull out the scarf. "What? Did you think it would be ugly?" He asked smirking a little before taking another drink of his coffee. Bill was determined to make the woman happy, he was going to find earth before both of them died, he had not only made the promise to both her and himself, but to the entire fleet. He was determined to build the cabin she had always wanted. Placing his mug on the table, he moved the box out of the way and moved closer to Laura, positioning himself behind her and allowing the woman to rest against his chest. His hands moved to her shoulders and he began to massage the skin lightly, making sure to go over every spot of her bare back, every now and then glancing at the time between the small kisses he was pressing against the back of her head and the sides of her neck. "I have a book on the desk in there that I want you to read, I think you'll like it."

"What is it?" Laura mumbles and closes her eyes, her mind following the touch of his rough fingers against her spine, "Mystery? You know I'm a sucker for a good mystery..." She sometimes felt like an extraterrestrial when he would kiss her against her scalp. She was so used to having a full head of thick hair, she wished daily that she could take back every insult she made against her mane's thickness. Laura bites her lip in a smirk, "I should be giving you the massage."

"Yes, it's a Mystery, but that is all I am going to say. I want you to be surprised." He said as his hands trailed up her sides slowly, making sure he did not miss a single spot. Hearing her comment, he smiled and placed his finger under her chin, turning her face to the side and capturing her lips with his. "You should relax and enjoy my magic hands." Bill smirked a little before kissing her once more and rubbing the back of her neck. The more he sat there, the less he wanted to leave Laura. If he could he would spend every second of every day with her.

Her chuckle was low, from the back of her throat, "Your hands are magic now?" The words pour like velvet from her lips. "Bill Adama and the Mystery of the Magic Hands." Laura smiles brightly, her teeth still sparkling white despite all the nausea she experienced from the withdraw of her medications. "What is the Mystery about?"

"They have always been magic, darling." He said smiling as he continued to move his hands up and down her back. He could probably spend hours just feeling her soft skin underneath his fingertips, feeling the goosebumps arise as he touched her. "Love and the Canceron Strangler". He said letting out a sigh, "I know it's not as exciting as sending people out the airlock and getting it over with, but it's a good story." He laughed a bit as he moved the covers around her body more, and reached over grabbing his mug and drinking the rest of the coffee. Wrapping his arms around her wait, he let his hands rest on her stomach and tickled her a bit, watching the woman quietly. "How about we have lunch together?"

"Bill-" She warned, glancing over to him, "I don't need a babysitter. I'm a grown woman who will eat when I am hungry." Laura shakes her head slowly, stroking the back of his hand, "You really should stop hovering so much." She wasn't exactly complaining about his arms being around her though. She loved it. She loved any time he touched her or showed her affection since she seemed to wait for it so long, "You can't fix everything, but I do like watching you try."

He opened his mouth to say something back to Laura but was interrupted by the phone ringing, sighing, he moved quickly out from behind the woman and across the room, picking up the receiver and bringing it to his ear. "Adama," he spoke into the phone and listened closely, "What?!" he yelled as he looked at the time on his watch, "Where?!" After getting a answer he hung up the phone and went over to the edge of the bed putting on his shoes quickly.

"And what was that?" Laura watched him intently, "Do you need me?" She begins to push the covers off of herself.

By the time the covers were pushed off the woman, Bill was already pushing her back down onto the bed. "No, you stay here and don't leave until I come back." He said as he shook his head and walked over to the door and stopped before opening it, knowing he could not leave her in the dark. "Starbuck just appeared in the landing bay." He said opening up the door and shutting it behind him. Looking at the guards stationed outside, he gave them specific orders to not let anyone in or out, knowing a possible Cylon could be aboard. After all, Kara Thrace had been gone six months. Lee Adama had watched her viper explode right before his eyes. He didn't know what was going on, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.

"What in the..." Laura shook her head, "That can't be..." She swallowed, glancing around for the distance to some of her clothing.

"Dad-" Lee glanced to his father when he saw the man bounding toward the woman's viper on the hangar deck. People were celebrating, including himself, but it left him perplexed. Could she actually be a Cylon? Was that a possibility? He saw the woman in question hug her husband before glancing toward his dad once more, "Dad, Kara's back!" He couldn't help but grin.

Bill walked furiously towards the gathering crowd, with the armed guards behind him, he looked at the fleet, "Everyone back to work! Immediately!" He yelled and watched as the people began to scatter quickly. Looking at Lee, he shook his head and then returned his attention to the blond standing before him. The girl he used to consider a daughter, a girl he had said a painful goodbye to six months ago. "Escort her to interrogation." He said watching his officers remove Kara from the room, who was definitely putting up a fight.

"Chief Tyrol, check that Viper out fully and get back to me with a report." He said before looking at his son, "You don't know if that is Kara or not, now get back to work. I will update you as soon as I can." He said turning and walking up the staircase and following behind the guards, his eyes never leaving the now suspect- Kara Thrace.

"So, this is the welcome I get?" Kara shook her head, her arms were being grasped by two burly men in black uniform, "No, nice flying, Starbuck. What do you hear, Starbuck? None of that?" The blond couldn't help but smirk, "And here I thought you'd be happy." She sighs when one of the marines holding onto her arm nudges her, "I'm not a toaster. What the hell is happening?"

Bill followed the marines into the interrogation room and slammed the door behind him, "Shut the frak up, Starbuck!" He said as he slammed the initial incident report on the table about Kara's death and leaned onto the table looking at the blond. "How long were you gone?" He asked wanting to know what the hell she or it was thinking at the moment. "Where was the last place you flew before getting back and come to the landing bay, please entertain me." He said sitting down and staring intently.

"What the..." She folds her hand, leaning forward onto the table, "I followed the scrap of metal and blew him to hell. Like I always do. I just got back..." Kara shakes her head slowly, "I don't understand all of this right now. I just know-" She pauses, her head beginning to pound, "I've been to Earth. I know where it is because I shot the frakking thing down and...I was on Earth. There were trees and water and animals...it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"You were gone for six frakking months! You're viper exploded in front of Lee!" He said looking at the blonde in a state of shock. Turning around he looked at one of the guards, "Get Doctor Cottle down here with a Cylon Detection kit." Turning his attention back to the blond, he shook his head back and forth. "There were no Cylon detections when you were going into the Nebula. I don't know what you were chasing, but you were killed in that process." He said sliding the folder towards her, "Have a look."

Kara tentatively glances to his face before opening the file and looking through all of the grainy pictures before snapping it shut, "This can't-" She shook her head, "I frakking saw it, Admiral. I felt the breeze against my face, listened as the water lapped against the shores. I saw birds flying from the tall green trees...real trees, not ones that have been digitally rendered or artificially added to the landscape. I did all of it. I felt all of that. There is no way in hell you can tell me that what I felt wasn't real...that what I felt wasn't true." She stands, leaning forward, "I have never lied to you, why the frak would I start now?" She slams her hand onto the metal table before placing it against her head again, "And I'm telling you we're going the wrong way."

Bill watched the girl in front of him, watching her freak out and listening to every word that came out of her mouth carefully, trying to understand it all. He would have loved nothing more than to hug Kara in his arms, be glad that his "daughter" was back home safely, but he didn't know if she was a human or not, he could not risk the entire safety of the fleet due to his personal emotions and connections with her. Hearing a knock at the door, Adama stood to his feet and walked over to the door opening it and stepping aside as Doctor Cottle walked in with the kit in hand.

"How long will this take, Doctor?" He asked watching the man get everything out that he needed.

"A couple minutes maximum." Nodding his head, he watched as blood was taken from Kara and stood near the door, his hands behind him, standing still and straight. Dropping a clear substance in with the blood, he turned to face the Admiral and looked at him, showing him the color of the tube and then collected his items and walked out of the room quickly.

He only had a few minutes to think of his plan, what he was going to do. He could not have Kara roaming the halls of the ship, not with the crazy talk about earth that she was rambling on about. "Congratulations, you're not a Cylon. But I still don't know what you are officially, so you will be staying in the brig..." He said as he looked at the guards and nodded his head, "I can't let you infect everyone else's mind on the fleet with this earth talk, do you understand me? We are following the President's orders on this one."

"What?!" Kara nearly screamed at him, shaking her head, "He just proved to you that I wasn't a frakking Cylon. I'm Starbuck. I'm your Starbuck. I don't care what some pictures show or what Lee thinks he saw, I'm telling you the truth." Her blue eyes blaze with anger at his near deception, "You've been talking about frakking Earth since the colonies exploded before our eyes, while we were hightailing it out of there and fighting the good fight. Do you remember that? Do you remember giving that frakking speech in front of all the dead pilots we recovered? The first few days, it was nearly a hundred good guys. I was there. I chanted So Say We All with you even though I didn't believe a damn word of it. I did it though because it was you." The young woman glared at him, "I would walk through fire for you. I nearly killed because you asked me to, I would do anything...absolutely anything you tell me to do." Kara swallowed, "But because the tables are turned, you want to throw me in the frakking brig and treat me like one of them? You told me I was like a daughter to you. I can see, now, why Lee hated you for so long." She seethes, her face moving close to his to stare him down.

"Why the hell would Lee lie about watching your viper explode, Kara?! Why?! I sent both of my kids out there and only one came back! I've watched the footage over and over of it! You died! And I don't know how to explain it right now, but until then, this a precautionary measure!" He yelled back at the girl, overpowering her voice. The phone rang and he grabbed the receiver, "What?!" Listening for a couple of seconds, he looked at the blonde and then took in a breath, "Jump." Slamming the phone down he looked at the blonde, getting back into her face. "If you are the real Starbuck then you would be on my ass if I let anyone else who was in this circumstance off scott free. Don't even pretend to deny it. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are cleared, but until then, my word is final." He said gritting his teeth, "Now get her out of here." He said hurt by her words but not really, knowing she got mouthy when she was angry.

Starbuck grabbed her head with both of her hands, feeling an intense sharp pain. "We are going the wrong way!" She screamed at him, using everything in her strength to get away from the guards who were practically carrying her toward the brig.

Bill closed his eyes as they escorted the blond out of the interrogation room and let out a shaky breath, shaking his head back and forth. Walking over to the table, he collected the folder with all the evidence of Kara's death that he had examined for months constantly. Walking back to his quarters, he thanked the guards and then closed the door behind him and threw the file against the wall, papers flying out and scattering everywhere. Grabbing the bottle of scotch, he poured himself a drink and went into the bathroom, slamming the door as hard as he possibly could. He needed a short break, knowing Saul could handle the CIC for bit.

Laura lifted her head up, lying in bed still. She knew how he was, "Well?" Her voice heavy with sleep as she swallowed in an attempt to sooth her dry throat, "Cylon?" She attempted to push herself up to a sitting position again, but quickly figured out she was far too tired for it.

He knew he had to answer her, but right now he could not even find the words to express his current emotional state. He was so confused and didn't know who or what to believe. Placing the glass on the counter, he turned on the sink and cupped the water from the faucet into his hands and splashed his face a couple of times, rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath of air in as he grabbed the towel and dried off. Looking in the mirror, he shook his head and then picked back up the glass, drinking more of the liquid as he sat down on the side of the tub.

"Bill." She called again. Able to reach his undershirt from the day before, she slowly pulled it on, "Bill." Laura called again, her hands shaking with uncertainty. She finds the strength to sit up, "Come to me or I'm coming to you."

"Stay in bed, Laura.." He yelled back as he shook his head and finished off the rest of his drink before throwing down the glass. If Kara was not a Cylon then what was she? There had to be something else. No human could just be brought back to life. The fact that she had no recollection of her time being gone and all these crazy rants about knowing where Earth was, it was just not natural. It sounded crazy, he wanted to believe her, but right now, there was no proof and according to the map they were following they were nowhere close to it. He needed to know where she had been, he needed to know how she got back, it was going to drive him crazy.


	2. Chapter 2

Laura began to fill with frustration. There was nothing she hated more than to be ignored. Slowly climbing from the bed, she makes her way to the bathroom, sinking to the floor as she leans against the wall, staring at him. She attempted to catch her breath, "Was it a Cylon trick?" Her voice wavers, hoping that, for his sake, it wouldn't be. She knew the young, vibrant woman that he saw as his daughter was a soft spot to him. When everyone listened to the coms and saw the video of the girl's Viper exploding, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was gone. It was a major blow to the pilots of the fleet. How could something so upsetting be true? Even Laura felt herself starting to think of the young woman as a daughter figure, as a friend and confidant that was loyal as anything. "You should let me see her." She folds her arms over her knees, the exertion beginning to force her to feel the effects of light headedness. "Did Cottle test her?" They were a lot of questions in somewhat quick succession.

He sat on the tub in the bathroom, his head in the hands with the broken glass of the tumbler that was once filled with scotch scattered on the ground. Six months ago he lost Kara, she was like- she was his daughter, he loved that girl like his own from the moment he had met her. He mourned her death and was finally getting back into the swing of things and out of the blue she showed up at the Landing Bay. He watched the woman walk into the bathroom and sink onto the floor. Shaking his head back and forth to the Cylon trick question he sighed, wishing she would have stayed in the bed. "The test confirmed she was not a Cylon," he spoke quietly. She had to be something, something else. Bill shook his head back and forth to her wanting to see Kara, "She says she has been to Earth, and that we are going the wrong way."

"Bill, that's-" Laura began to shake her head, listening intently, "You can't let the memories of this girl cloud your better judgement. We don't know what she is. Just because she isn't a Cylon doesn't mean she isn't working with them. We've seen it with Gaius Baltar." She sighs, "We found the direction of Earth. We know where it is, it's plotted on a map. If we leave course now, we may never be able to find it." She tried to clear her dry throat, making it sound like she was straining to speak, "This isn't the Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace that you knew and loved, Bill. This is a trick and this is wrong. I can feel it." She moaned, leaning her head back against the cold wall.

"I know, Laura! I know!" He said stopping himself, calming down and shaking his head, "I'm sorry.." He apologized for his outburst and shook his head. "I told her that, but when we jumped she nearly fell over screaming." He said sighing and slamming his fist down onto the side of the tub. "I don't know what to do with her..." He said standing to his feet and walking over the broken glass and picked up Laura, knowing she was barefoot. Walking back into the room, he sat her down on the bed and quietly went over getting a broom and dustpan.

"She likes to have her way, Bill. If she can't have it, she wants no one else to have theirs." She watches him intently, "I'll be honest with you though." Laura moans, adjusting herself on the rack, waiting for him to return to her before continuing. She lifts up the purple scarf she was gifted out of the small, paper lined box and tied the silky fabric around her bald scalp. She smiled to herself, placing a hand against her own cheek.

Bill walked past Laura and back into the bathroom, sweeping up the broken glass fragments and throwing them away. Double checking the floor, he placed the broom and dustpan back in it's original spot and then turned to look at the woman, listening to what she had to say. "It looks good on you.." He said quietly as he grabbed the bottle of scotch and took a swig out of it, then grabbed his glasses that were hanging from the neck on his uniform and placed them back on. Walking over, he sat down next to Laura and just looked at her quietly. "When are you going to see her?"

"Am I allowed to?" Laura raised her eyebrow, smirking. She had lost quite a bit of weight within the past few months and appeared as a shell of her former self, "I'd like to go as soon as possible, but I want you to know something. If it were Billy-" She catches herself starting to tear up. She bit her lip in an attempt to repress her emotions, "It if were Billy walking off a Raptor or...my parents or my sisters...you had better believe I'd do the same thing. They're gone, Bill. We watched them perish. Kara is no different." Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out to touch his forearm, "I mean it, Bill."

Bill nodded his head to her question, wanting to smile seeing her smirk along with her smartass comment, but right now he just couldn't. "I know," he said nodding his head up and down, "I'm just tired of this." Standing to his feet, he took Laura's hands into his own and helped her up from the bed, and leading her over to the closet. Taking off the undershirt she had covered herself with, he put it in the hamper of dirty clothes and stood next to the closet, his eyes glancing at the scattered files on the floor that had everything to do with his Star- Kara Thrace.

Laura placed a hand against the wall, trembling as she stood there. She lazily files through the closet of suits, pulling one of her more comfortable ones out and placing it on the bed. She noticed where his eyes were wandering off to and quickly pulls him into a kiss, "Stay with me or I'm going to fall over." Her voice quiet. Laura began to hold onto him more, leaning into his chest, "I have never told you anything that wasn't proven to be true in the past." Her voice told him softly, and though she didn't know it, creating a conundrum within the man's head.

The minute Laura moved, his eyes were on her. He was not expecting the kiss, but gladly accepted it and listened to her comment. Nodding his head, he kept his arm around her waist, holding her up and close to him. Bill thought it would be best if he didn't comment on it, he knew what he would end up saying would be the wrong thing since he was still seeing the Kara in the brig, the Kara he knew from before. Leaning down, he picked up her pants and opened them up, leaning down he held onto her waist and waited for her to put her hands on his shoulders before lifting up her foot a bit and sliding each leg on slowly. Once they were on, he handed the top to it and let her put them on all the way as he stood behind her, letting her lean into his body.

This was all still hard for her. Her mind couldn't help but flash to the times when she did this exact thing for her mother. Laura pauses, feeling her eyes begin to burn with tears again. She leaned against him more, "I hate this." She whispered. Her trembling hands slowly attempting to button the enclosures of her blazer, "I hate all of this." Her voice was thick with emotion as she just stopped, standing there, she attempted to find peace quickly. She couldn't be some sobbing mess in the face of the non-cylon, return from the dead Kara Thrace.

Bill watched her quietly, knowing that Laura took great pride in being about to do things herself with little to no help at all from other people. "I know..." He whispered back to her comments about hating the current situation. When he noticed she stopped attempting with the buttons on the blazer, he turned her around slowly and wrapped his arms around her body, rubbing her back up and down. "Take your time, she's not going anywhere.." He whispered as he kissed her head. Buttoning the last button, he held onto Laura still tightly, feeling her body trembling.

"I know, it's the point of it." Laura whispered, rolling her lips together before pouting again. "She may not be going anywhere, but I'd like to get down there before I die." She hugged onto him a little bit, needing his closeness and strength.

"_Laura, the blue one, dear. The blue blouse with the navy trousers." Judith Roslin called from the hospital bed they had rented just to keep her comfortable at home._

"_Mother, where exactly do you think you're going?" Laura shakes her head, having spent all day working with moody teenagers, it wasn't exactly the most exciting thing to come home and deal with an equally moody mother._

"_You said you were taking me for a walk around the block, didn't you?"_

"_Yes, of course, we do it every day, but why get so dressed up this time?"_

_Judith clears her throat, "I thought the other day, what if the last time I see the neighbors is the last time they see me?"_

_Laura rolled her eyes, bringing back the clothing her mother had asked for. Helping her mother past the trousers, she gets a hand from the woman when she attempts to help her with her blouse. The woman was still stubborn as anything, "You should just let me do it."_

"_I can do it, Damn it." Judith barks at her daughter, her hands shaking as she attempts to handle the small buttons on the delicate dress shirt._

Laura leaned her head back, letting a tear finally fall, "Damn it." She whispered.

"You are going to be down there in less than a minute, you need to relax." He said as he rubbed her back and held her tightly as she got quiet. Bill looked down at her trying to see what was going on, and was about to speak when he saw the tear roll down her cheek. "Oh, Laura.." He whispered, his own heart breaking at the sight of her upset. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he continued to hold onto her, making sure she was close and she was not going to fall.

"Do I...do I look okay?" Laura rolled her eyes a little at herself and offered him a slight smile. Admitting defeat was never a thing she could easily do. This time was no different. Admitting defeat in disease, political elections, appointments to political positions. She hated it all, "I should probably wear the hair instead."

Bill smiled and listened to her question, "You look amazing, Laura." He whispered, taking her hand into his own and bringing it up to his lips, pressing a kiss on it. Hearing her backtrack and comment about the hair, he shook his head back and forth, "Don't you dare. You look even more gorgeous than the day I first met yet." He said playing with the ends of the scarf, "Besides, if you don't wear this then you are going to make me think you hate it." He said smirking a little as he stole a kiss and cupped her face in his hands, making her do a fish face, before wrapping her arm around his own. "Ready?"

"Ready to see the dead brought back to life?" Laura shakes her head, "It isn't about what I want to do, it's what I have to do." She replied quietly, smiling to him as they begin to walk. She couldn't help but notice the people stop in the hallway just to stare at them, at her. They were staring at her and she knew it. They were staring at her frailty, they were staring at her lack of hair, "I should have worn the hair." She looks over to him, her lips chapped, she smirks a little, leaning her head on his upper arm as they continue to walk, "Thank you for not making me use the chair."

"I simply meant are you ready to leave..." He said smirking as he helped her up the steps, the guards slowly following behind them both. As the people passed them in the hallways of the ship, he didn't pay attention to any of them. His only focus and concern was on Laura, and he knew she was not ignoring the looks. "I don't think you should have," he said shrugging his shoulders as he felt her rest her head onto his arm. "You don't need the chair, baby." He said knowing she would be much more stronger and able to walk by herself if she was eating on schedule, taking all of her medication and working out like Doctor Cottle had recommended to her several of times before.

"Thanks." She picks her head up, "I've been wanting to jog lately...probably because I can't." Laura smirks, glancing to the people again, her people. Looks of pity and sadness cast upon them as they walked, like they were some sort of funeral march without the dead body. She knew she had to keep walking or it would just grow worse. "And going back to what you said, You hated me when you first saw me. So saying I look more beautiful than then, doesn't sound very promising."

"You can't jog yet," He spoke as he looked at her and waited until he made eye contact with the woman, "You can't right this minute, but you will be able to do so soon." He said nodding his head as he helped her up a flight of steps. Hearing her comment, he rolled his eyes and smirked, "I hated your personality back then, thank you very much. I was admiring your physical appearance from afar." As they reached the brig, the guards behind them moved over and opened up the door, clearing everything with the guard on duty before walking inside slowly. His eyes fell about Kara, who was laying on the cot, staring up at the ceiling.

Laura stopped walking a moment staring at the young woman, "I can handle it from here." She tilts her head to the side, not knowing whether she wanted to cry and reach out and hug the young woman in jubilation or immediately throw her out of an airlock, "Can we open the cell?" She glances to the guards with a smile.

The guards looked at Bill after Laura's question and he nodded his head, the one closest to the door slid in his key and turned the lock, opening up the door and then stepping back. Kara sat up to see who was there and then stood as she saw Laura. "Madame President," She spoke quietly as she glanced past the woman and glared at the Admiral. "Had a feeling I would see you while I was in here."

"To be honest, I had to see it for myself." Laura nodded, her face neutral, judging the girl with every breath. "Admiral, could you give us a moment?" She slowly rested against the desk that was not very far from the young woman's open cell, "A moment alone, please?"

Bill looked over at Laura for a moment and then back at Kara, nodding his head he looked at the woman standing next to him, "I'll be outside." He said as he turned and waited for one of the guards to let him out of the room. Once he was in the hallway, the guards shut back the door and locked it. Kara arched her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side, waiting to hear what the woman had to say.

"It's good to see you again." Laura knew how to play this game. She had danced this dance many times before, often claiming her love of mystery books growing up is what helped her love this, "I've heard that you've seen Earth." The older woman slowly adjusted her scarf, then the cuff to her blazer, "Tell me about it?"

"It's good to see you too, Madame President." She said addressing her like she always had before. Nodding her head up and down to her comment, she laughed a little, "Yeah, I saw it alright." She said rocking her body back and forth as she kept her arms crossed over her chest. "The skies are baby blue, with white puffy cloud that form into all these different shapes. The grass is so green on the ground below." She said tearing up as she thought back to her time spent there. "The water sparkles underneath the sunlight, and the animals- Oh gods, the animals. There are so many of them." Kara spoke softly, as she closed her eyes and caught her breath. "The way the wind blows against your body and you can smell everything around you, not only the clean air but the smell of the grass, and the water. You can hear the water moving and the animals talking, Madame President. It's unlike anything we have ever seen."

Laura closed her eyes, envisioning it all. She smiles, "Sounds like the fields of Elysium." She opens her eyes slowly, "However, Captain Trace, we cannot stray from the course we have penned for us. We have found the correct nebula and galaxy. We know where we are going. We have a map. We are going to Earth, but not the way you think is right."

Kara shook her head and put her hands over her face as she heard the President go on about how they were already on the right path to Earth. "No! No, Madame President! You are so wrong! I have this such strong feeling, it's so close to us right now. So simple. But with every jump you do, I lose that feeling. It's slipping away and you are letting it, because of some map that's one hundred frakking years old." She said shaking her head back and forth. "Madame President, if you let me help and search, we will find it. You have to trust me on this. I trusted you on a vision, a drug induced vision you had about the arrow, and no questions were asked. I need you to trust me on my vision, you can send only me and another Viper out, in the search, but I promise you, we are going the wrong way." She said as tears streamed down her eyes and she sat down on the bed, looking at the older woman. "I have always been loyal to this ship, I'm not a Cylon, I don't understand why you all are doing this to me. I know I can't remember the time loss, but I am telling you, I have seen earth. I can lead us there."

"Captain Thrace," Laura begins, her voice even and almost mocking ever so slightly, "Captain Thrace, we don't know what you are. I don't know what you are. I do know this, however, your presence is outrageously dangerous. I will not risk the lives of innocent people and I won't let you take a Viper that the fleet needs just to chase something. Unless you have proof, why should we believe you? Why shouldn't I be throwing you out of an airlock?" She attempts to edge herself onto the desk more, nearly falling off, "It is not a secret that my health is deteriorating at an alarming rate. As you remember, the prophecy tells us that a dying leader will lead the people to Earth. We're going to get there very soon. We're going to get there via the course already planned out. I will not allow you to change that course and the only way I'm going to make that happen is if you stay in this cell."

"I am the same person I have always been! You can run every test on me possible, I am Captain Kara Thrace, AKA Starbuck." She said shaking her head, "I don't want to risk anyones life! If you don't want to give me backup, fine! I'll go in the Viper that I brought back!" She said trying to plead with the woman, knowing it was not working. "The course that has already been planned out is the one the Cylon's know as well, how do you think they keep frakking attacking us at every jump?! They have already determined our path!" She said shaking her head as she paced back and forth through her cell. "You can be the dying leader, I am not taking that away from you. But Madame President, you need to let me be your GPS." She said taking in a deep breath for air, "I will fight until the day I die on this. You are going the wrong way. You are going the wrong way. You are going the wrong frakking way!" She screamed as she walked out of the cage. Her friend who was the only guard in there becoming nervous, "Jeremy, I'm not going to do anything, I promise." She said before turning around and punching him in the face and knocking him out. Picking up his weapon, she slammed it on the desk beside the President and stepped in front of her. "You don't believe me? Then kill me. You think I'm a frakking Cylon?! Kill me." She said putting her hands behind her back and looking at the President.

Laura looked the young woman up and down, tired and weak. "We are not going the wrong way. We found the correct galaxy. We know where we're going." Her gaze toward the woman calculated and even, her body shook with illness, "I'm tired, Starbuck. Tired of changing direction a million times. I'm tired of being on this frakking ship. I want to know, before I die, that the rest of humanity is safe and has found a place to call home, that they've found Earth. That is what my role is in the prophecy...a prophecy, that has been nothing but true since we began to follow it...since Elosha told me of it all those years ago. We are not going the wrong way. You are irrational. You are unstable. I will not allow Bill or Lee to give you what you want this time. I simply won't. I will airlock you before you put my people at risk." She glanced over to the guard near the door, "Please, inform the Admiral that I'm ready to go."

Kara shook her head listening to the President speak, and laughed halfheartedly, "Your people? Remember that I am one of those.." She whispered to herself, clearing her throat she made eye contact with the woman, "Next time you let the people down, remember how stupid you were for not listening to me. But the fleet is already expecting it, seeing that you are just a plain old schoolteacher, who the Admiral is banging." She said rolling her eyes as she turned and walked back into her cell, grabbing the door and slamming it shut herself. The guard opened up the door and Bill turned around and walked back in, going to Laura's side and wrapping his arm around her waist as he helped her off the desk. He looked over at the blonde in the cage, his mind and heart so confused and sighed, not saying a word but helping Laura out of the room slowly.

"That isn't Kara." Laura whispered in his ear as they walked. She gripped his arm as if her life depended on it, "I don't know what that is, but it isn't Starbuck." She swallowed, though it pained her and she wanted it to be the loving yet guarded young woman that she had grown to respect.

Bill listened to what Laura was telling him and didn't respond, what was there to say? None of them had the answers they needed on why Kara- or whoever she was came back, how she knew about Earth. But apart of him was more than curious to see her path, he knew that following the map was important, but they had been wrong many times before, and would be again. What if this was one of those times? Holding onto the woman, they made their way back down to his room and he shut the door behind them, leading Laura back over to the bed and letting her sit down. Bill took off his glasses and hooked them onto the collar of his jacket before walking over and pouring himself another drink.

"You've been drinking like a fish." Laura watched the man closely. "What do you want me to do, Bill? What can I do to make this better for you?" She brought her hands slowly to the buttons of her jacket, sighing as they shook, but took her time and completely unbuttoned the blazer. She held onto the edge of the rack, "I can help you. You just don't want me to." She pushed her shoes off, and folded her constantly trembling hands into her lap, "Let me in, Bill."

"I'm fine," He snapped back at her drinking comment, knowing that he could only have a certain amount, seeing that he had a ship to run. Hearing her question, he looked over at her and shook his head, "I don't know, Laura. I don't even know what to do right now." He said as he finished the drink and placed the glass down as he walked over to the table across the room and sat down, not making eye contact with the woman. "You want to be let in? You're not going to like what you hear." He said looking up at Laura, "I believe her, for some odd reason, I believe that she knows what to do. She has never let me down before." He said shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, "You are wanting to put her out of airlock, and half of me doesn't blame you at all for that. But we have been working with Cylon's for weeks now, I mean look at Sharon, she has helped us many times before. We have more faith in the Cylon than someone who tested negative at the moment." He said folding his hands on the table. "So what can you do to help, Laura? I never said I didn't want it."

Laura shook her head, "We know what they are. We know the Cylons are Cylons. We know humans are humans. We know Hera is a mixture of the two. However, I will not put my faith in a ghost. I will not allow you to let her lead this ship into oblivion because you love her...because she's like your own. I won't allow it, Bill." She pushed the cold mug of tea that had been sitting on the nightstand onto the floor, "She admits she saw all these different things. There is no proof. There are no pictures." Laura glared toward him, "If I don't send her out of an airlock, she needs to stay where she is. She needs to stay in the brig."

Watching Laura knock the mug over, he heard the ceramic break and scatter across the floor. He was not going to let her send Kara out of the airlock, he would not allow it. Listening to her suggestions, he nodded his head up and down and stood up retrieving the broom and dustpan for the second time that day. Once he had the glass and tea cleaned up, he collected a few files that needed to go to the CIC and looked at her, "Yes, Madame President." He said knowing he was not going to argue with her on this anymore, he knew they would never see eye to eye on this situation. "I'm going back to work now." Bill said putting on his glasses, knowing what he had to do.

"Of course you are." She mumbled, edging herself up onto the bed more. Laura sighed, "Before you go, could you get me a wet cloth to put over my eyes? I'm a little warm." She lied down slowly, watching him move about the cabin. This was his way of removing himself from the situation, she knew that. She knew he could never turn the girl down. She knew he didn't want to. Bill would put Kara before her every time if there was question about it. She wouldn't apologize about the ceramic mug shattered or the way she forced him to clean it up to distract him from his drink, as long as he wasn't drinking, she thought, "Not too cold. Lukewarm, please. I don't want to be a bother."

"Someone has to run this ship, Laura." He looked at her after she mumbled and was about to leave the room before hearing her request. Sighing, he placed the files down on the table and turned to go into the bathroom, opening up the cabinet he retrieved a dry washcloth and turned the sink faucet on, making sure the water was the temperature that the woman wanted before placing it under the water, drenching it completely. Ringing it out, he returned to the bed and handed it to her. "You know if you were following the doctor's orders, you could have the strength to do everything you want." He said shaking his head before returning to the table to get the files. It was not that he didn't want to care for Laura, but he knew what she was capable of doing when she was not being stubborn. "Call if you need me."

"Follow the path, Bill." Laura called to him, ignoring him for the most part. His words of running the ship stung her. Of course she could run this ship still. She had to. She gingerly placed the cloth over her eyes, allowing herself to cry softly for herself once he exited. The cloth would make it so that her eyes wouldn't swell or redden so much. Laura's chin trembles at the thought that he could let Kara Thrace have her way once more. This would be like Baltar all over again. She knew he would ruin the human race and he nearly did. They weren't able to save everyone on New Caprica, just like they couldn't save everyone on the colonies. It pained her to think of all the people they just left to die there. She wouldn't let that happen yet once again with these people. The only people left in existence were going to stay alive. It was part of the prophecy and she was nearing death. Though she wouldn't see the promised land, she knew she would lead them to it. She had to.


	3. Chapter 3

After escaping the brig, Kara made her way down to Adama's cabin, knowing that was exactly where the President would be. Since being locked up they had already made two jumps and she knew she had to stop it, had to make sure they stayed in a path where she could still find Earth. She knew that once she did this, she would lose every amount of trust that people still had in her, but she didn't care. She had to make them see, she had to make Laura Roslin see that she was in the wrong. Throughout her time at aboard the Galactica, not only had she saw the Admiral as a father figure, but the President as a mother figure, seeing that her real one was a waste. Truth be told, she thought the two made a good couple, she loved seeing Bill happy, she loved knowing that through the worst of times, two people could still love and need each other. Like she had with Lee for the longest amount of time, and like she found with Sam on New Caprica. Rounding the corner, she held onto gas bomb and unlocked it, throwing it over towards the guards who were in front of the door. Once they had been knocked out, she disarmed them and closed her eyes suppressing her tears. Kara didn't want to hurt anyone, all she wanted to do was help all of these people. The lights were off as she stepped inside of the Cabin, making it seem like nobody was there, but she knew this is exactly where the President would be. Shutting the door behind her, she locked it and turned the lights onto the lowest setting.

Laura Roslin laid on the rack, knowing she heard the hatch door open and shut. She sighed, "Are you in a better mood now?" She shook her head, "What's going on out there? Are we under attack again?" She knew they couldn't be. She knew they'd formed an alliance with the Cylons, an uneasy one, yes, but a necessary one. Laura licked her lips, "I apologize for breaking the mug earlier. I didn't mean to." She didn't remove the cloth from her eyes, why did she need to? Obviously it was always the two of them. It was always the two of them here. Their humble abode.

Kara's eyes burned, when she closed them trying to stop the tears, it failed. They streamed down her cheeks as she silently took in a deep breath looking down at the gun that was in her shaking hand. Listening to the woman speak, her heart broke. She loved Laura, she did, and though she didn't show it most of the time, she looked up at the woman for being so brave and strong throughout her battle with breast cancer. Here she was, standing in the cabin shared by Bill and Laura, her parental figures with a gun all because lack of communication and trust. She didn't know what to say, every time she tried to speak her words got caught in her throat and nothing came out. Walking across the room, she sat down at the chair across from the bed and just looked at the frail woman in pity. Her eyes glancing over to all the medication on the nightstand, to the wig that was hung neatly with the strands of hair perfectly in place. Looking down at the gun in her still shaking hand, she loaded it up, making sure the woman heard the sound of it being loaded.

"Bill?" Laura croaked before slowly removing the cloth from her eyes, "Kara...how did you..." She slowly began to push her arms up to a sitting position, her back hunched slightly, "You were supposed to stay in the brig and..." She slowly looked to the young woman's face, noticing the tears streaming from her eyes, she shakes her head, "Come to kill me? Wouldn't be too much of a fair fight..."

Kara watched as Laura realized who was inside of the room and bit her lip as she listened to her question, "No..." She whispered shaking her head back and forth. "I would never kill you.." She said as more tears fell down her face. "I just don't understand why you can't trust me. Why you have zero amount of faith in me. And I can't believe you think I am an enemy, it's heartbreaking to me. Seeing that I have not only put my life on the line for the fleet, for the Admiral, but also for you countless amount of times." She said gripping onto the gun, "So tell me why."

"I just know. I know my..." Laura paused, swallowing as she slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I know where we're supposed to go and how to get there. I listened to the wireless when you...I was there." She shook her head, "I remember because I was there when you died. I remember Lee's screams and how much Bill sobbed...I was there for that. Unless you have proof, unless you have pictures or a set destination, you are nothing but a ghost and that's a very dangerous thing. Do you understand?" Her hands trembled as she grips onto the edge of the rack, her feet touched the floor. She brought her knees together, only making herself realize just how much weight she has actually lost. Laura shook her head a little at herself, "Kara...you shouldn't have come back...for more reasons than one."

"I listened to them too, and if I had an explanation for it all, you'd be the first person I would give it to. You know that!" She said as tears continued to fall from her eyes. "I might not have any physical proof, but I am telling you this feeling is not going away. And the more times you jump, and the more time you sit here and tell me that you do not have faith in me, the more frakked we all will be. You have been wrong several times before, Laura. The holy frakking map has led us wrong before." She said looking at the woman and shaking her head, "I cannot sit on this ship and allow you to continue to danger yourselves. I can't let you go the wrong way when the path is so clear in front of me. I can't do it, Laura. And I don't know what that makes me, a ghost, a different kind of Cylon, I don't know, but you are calling me your enemy. Everyone thinks I am their enemy when all I want to do is help." She said as her voice cracked. Picking up the other gun she took from the guard, she stood to her feet and walked in front of Laura handing it to her. "Kill me now." She dropped to her knees and sat in front of the woman. "Like I said before, I will not stop fighting this. And I am not going to sit here and watch you make a fool of yourself because you won't frakking trust me. So kill me. Make sure I can't come back."

Laura took the heavy antique blaster from the young woman, her hand trembling as she lets it drop to her lap, just holding it in her hands. She studies the thick metal pieces and how they correspond with the wooden handle, "I care a great deal for you, Kara, but I can not risk this for everyone else. I won't do it." She placed her finger over the trigger, picking it up to point it toward the young woman's head. Unable to hold the weapon steady, she pulls the trigger, causing the bullet to hit the edge of another table. A picture topples from the edge, a picture of she and Bill. Tears filled her eyes as the rest of her body shook. She knew within herself that this was close range, she missed for a reason.

Kara closed her eyes when she watched woman pick up the gun and hold it directly in front of her face. Her body flinched whenever she heard the shot fired, but didn't move for a bit. Opening up her eyes, her head turned slowly to the broken picture frame and she turned back to look at Laura, still crying. "Again." She said sternly as she picked the woman's hand back up and placed the barrel to her forehead. "You either kill me or let me help. Those are the only options here, and we both know your answer. Kill me, Laura. Kill me. But I want you to know that I would never hurt any of you all. Everyone aboard this ship is my family, especially you and Admiral. But I understand that you have to do this. And I understand that you have to protect our family." She screamed out as she cried harder. "So do it. Get it over with and send me out the airlock. But if the rest of my- our family gets hurt because of that map, that's on you. Not me." Kara said looking up at Laura before closing her eyes. "Do it."

Laura let the gun fall from her hand, tears coming to her own eyes. She remembered reading Kara's file a while ago when they were going through all the folders Gaius Baltar had stashed away after New Caprica. She led a long, difficult life. Laura wanted to reach out and hold the young woman closely, but she knew she couldn't. Too much rage and uncertainty filled her because of this woman's actions. She glanced up, hearing Marines barge through the hatch.

"Down on the floor!" The marine screamed at Kara, glancing to the President, "You alright, Madam President?"

"I'm fine." Laura's voice was unsure and almost painful. She didn't feel like herself anymore and she certainly didn't look like herself anymore.

The marine placed her foot against Starbuck's back, guaranteeing she stay down as the large weapon was placed against the back of her head, "Admiral, we're all clear!" She yelled.

Bill walked in quickly through the hatch and looked at both of the women, "What the hell were you thinking?!" He screamed as he pushed the guard away and grabbed Kara by the back of neck, yanking her up. Kara looked at the older man crying and closed her eyes, "I'm sorry..." She whispered.

"Get her out of my sight." He said as he threw her over to the Marines and then looked at Laura, "Are you okay?"

"I...I broke the picture frame. I knocked it from the edge of the table." Laura's voice was quiet, the entire ordeal left her stunned, "She wanted me to kill her...I tried to, but I missed." She replied, wrapping her arms around herself. She reached a hand up to quickly wipe her wet cheeks, "It was too easy for her to get out of the brig."

"What do you want to do?" He asked as his eyes glanced towards the broken picture frame and then looked down at the gun on the floor by Laura's feet. Reaching down, he picked it up and put the safety on before unloading it.

Laura shook her head, "Are there...are there any ships that aren't necessary?" She brought her fist to her mouth, coughing. "Something you can give her that we don't actually need?" She watched him intently, chewing on her bottom lip.

Bill thought for a moment before nodding his head up and down, "There is the Demetrius, it's holding a few things in storage and supplies. It's a garbage ship." He said before rubbing her back as she began to cough and looked into her green-sea hues.

She offered him a sad smile, nodding, "Give it to her...some pilots too. Tell her to bring us proof." Laura swallowed, "Don't tell her this was my decision. She doesn't need to know that. Give her some non-essential crew and let her go." She leaned in, kissing his lips softly, "As long as she isn't on this ship or with this fleet. Do you understand? This may be the last time we see her and we must be okay with that."

Hearing her orders, he felt tears threaten to form in his eyes, closing them he pulled the woman to him once more and nodded his head. "I'm sorry I left you earlier..." He spoke quietly before finding her lips with his own and kissing her passionately, wanting this kiss to mean much more than any before. When he had received the news that Kara had escaped and had the President hostage, he could only imagine the worst. Thinking he allowed another thing onto his ship and someone else was going to get hurt. The moment when Boomer shot him was replaying through his mind as he ran down the halls of the Galactica, desperately trying to get closer to Laura as quickly as possible.

Laura tenderly returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face against his neck, "I'm fine, Bill. You must work." She swallowed, "She won't stop until she succeeds in finding this place she found before. I won't believe she will because I don't know how she did in the first place." Laura bites her lip, tears returning to her eyes as she kissed him softly, "I'm sorry."

"Until she admits defeat, have some faith in her." He said looking down at Laura, "Just like she did in you." He said as he kissed her lips and rubbed her back a little before pulling back. "I have to get back to the CIC, but I'll be back soon. You have an appointment with Doctor Cottle in about an hour. Just thought I'd let you know if you want to go.." He said as he stood up and walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a few things and put them on a plate for her. Walking back, he put it on the nightstand and grabbed the locked gun, "Laura, I love you." He said kissing her once more before walking out of the room and closing the hatch behind him.

Laura sighed heavily, slowly reaching for the food on the plate. She brought each bite to her mouth, savoring them. She smirked when a young staffer arrived at the door with a chair to go to the Sickbay. She hated this. She hated relying on other as she had always been so independent since she was a young girl and the independence only increased once her father and sisters died, leaving her to tend to her mother. Then, finally, someone depended on her then. Now, she was slowly turning into her mother and she hated it.

"Just wanted to inform you that she is on her way to the appointment." Doctor Cottle spoke into the phone to Admiral Adama before hanging up and lighting up one of his cigarettes. As Laura was wheeled into the room, he helped her get onto the bed and instructed the nurse to get her ready for her treatment. "How are we today, Madame President?" He asked, going over her charts.

Laura smirked, "How do I look?" She replied sarcastically, knowing the true answer. She looked like some sort of skeleton anymore. "I used to smoke." She mused, "Quit after my mother died." She shrugged, "Should have quit long before that." Laura sighed, watching him, "Humor me though, how do I look?"

Cottle smirked and laughed halfheartedly at her sarcastic reply, shaking his head as he signed off at the bottom of her charts. "I love my smokes too much to give them up." He said as he hooked up her IV, and raised her bed. "Honestly? Like hell. Looks like you haven't been taking care of yourself at all." He said quietly. "It's good that you came in for the treatment though, you will be a lot better if you get back into the routine of your regular schedule." He was about to turn to walk away and stopped for a moment, looking down at his cigarette. "You know you could try the Chamalla again. Takes away some of the pain. I don't fully approve of it, but would you want some?"

"Because I don't care anymore." Her eyes followed the man, "I don't anymore, Doctor." Laura sighed, "What difference would it make if I died tomorrow or three months from now?" She shrugged, "To me, it would make no difference. The man I love shouldn't have to watch me suffer. The man I love shouldn't have to take care of me like some sort of nursemaid. That isn't what he signed up for. He shouldn't need to do it. However, he asked me to do this, so here I am."

"Well obviously his opinion is something you care about, otherwise you wouldn't be here." He said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the woman, "You don't care?" He repeated her words and tilted his head to look at her, "It would make a difference to Adama, it would make a difference to the fleet. You said you intend on getting us to Earth." He said inhaling a bit on the cigarette. "If you don't care, why should we?" He asked shrugging his shoulders. "Why should we continue to help these people in the Sick Bay if the own President doesn't think life is important, clearly by not doing everything in her power to take care of herself." Cottle sighed, "I think he signed up to stick with you through both good and bad times. What if he was in your position, would you be there for him regardless of his request? Yes you would, because that's love. And I don't know much about it seeing that my last three marriages ended in divorce." Standing back up to his feet, he drew back the curtain, revealing all the other patients to the President. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't like, that is life and nobody said it would be easy. Laura, you have the ability to make yourself stronger, if you would have stuck to the schedule, you could have walked- hell, probably could have jogged in here yourself. Don't let your ego get in the way of your judgment. But like you said, you don't care. I don't care about these people either, I think I am just going to go back to my bunk and get the sleep I have been missing out on for the past few months. It doesn't matter right?" He asked as he closed the curtain behind him and walked over to the next bed checking on the patient.

"It isn't about ego. I just don't see the point!" Laura called out, leaning back onto the bed with the usual flow of medication into her arm, "Nothing but poison." She says to herself, shaking her head. After her mother died, Laura always promised herself that she'd never take this. She'd never pump herself full of chemicals and kill her immune system. She didn't do it the last time around and nearly died. So when the Cancer returned, though she thought it wouldn't thanks to Hera Agathon, she knew what she had to do. Laura hated it. Hated what she had become. Was she some old illness riddled woman, so frail that she could be blown over with the most minute of winds? Possibly, but maybe the doctor was right. Maybe she could improve herself before she died. She could do it for Bill. She could give him a night to remember instead of just lying there and taking it like some sort of rag doll. The thought caused Laura to grin to herself, bringing a hand to her mouth to giggle softly.


	4. Chapter 4

Lee Adama watched as the large ship embarked on their journey. It was a journey he knew they'd never return from, but a part of him was proud of his father for letting her go. He nodded when people shook his hand, but continued to watch where the ship once was. He loved Kara. He loved her a lot. One part of him like a sister, one like a lover, but they were still always supposed to be together for one reason or another. He glanced around the hangar deck, spotting his father. It was like losing Kara all over again to him, and he knew his father probably felt the same way.

He was so thankful that Laura came to her senses and was allowing Kara to go on this mission, he didn't think of the girl as a different person or thing, no, she was his Starbuck. He cared for the girl like his own and as the ship jumped away he felt his heartbreak all over again. Sure this time he got to say goodbye, but he didn't want to say it. He wanted to have her running around Galactica, causing more problems and being a pain in his ass every other day. But he knew deep down that this was the right thing to do, he had to let her go, again. Tears burned his eyes as he walked back to his quarters, his son following right behind him. Once the hatch was closed, he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out another bottle of scotch and two glasses, pouring a drink for himself and his son. Sitting down, he drank a little of the liquid and took off his glasses.

Lee opened the hatch, stepping through it. He noticed the two stout tumblers resting on the table, he smirked. Walking closer toward his father, he stood next to the table, placing a hand over what he assumed was his glass, he glanced around, taking note of the slight feminine touches Laura had added to the cabin, he glanced back down to his father, "You alright?" His voice was quiet, but he knew his father could hear him. His heart was cracked and he was glad that she took Sam with her. He would have never gone. It was too risky. Once he was happy to have her back and wanting to put his lips against hers, she was gone again. He was alone once again. The fleet was without some of its top pilots once again. Even the CIC was lonely without Felix Gaeta at the helm, but Lieutenant Hoshi handled it just fine. Still, things were very different now. He slowly sunk to his seat, almost staring at his father as he took a sip.

Bill watched Lee's glances around the room and smirked, "Laura said it looked dead in here." He said taking another sip before watching him sit down. "No, I'm not alright." He said shaking his head, "I'm not alright with letting some of the best people on this ship just go away not knowing if they will return or not, knowing we are leaving yet more people behind." He said as he finished the drink he just seconds poured and slammed the glass down a little onto the table. "How about you?"

"Yeah...Same." Lee ran his hand through his thick brown hair before picking up the glass and taking a sip, "You shouldn't have agreed to let her go, Dad. I think it was a bad call." He looks around again, "I didn't know she was living with you full time. President Roslin, I didn't know..." He smirked.

"She said she knew where Earth was, and she was not going to stop until she found it. I can't just leave her locked in the brig. I believe in her, and I don't think it was a bad call." He said looking at his son again before pouring another drink. "You and Kara are the only people who know, besides the guards and Cottle. I'd like to keep it that way." He said taking a sip of the liquid he had become so fond of when he was stressed and sighed.

"What about Colonel Tigh?" He leaned onto the table a little, "Everyone always sees the two of you walking arm in arm around the ship. It isn't exactly one of your better kept secrets. You're in the news, people are constantly talking." Lee sighed, smirking, "I thought Kara and I were going to be like that...believe it or not."

Bill had not spoken much to Tigh after he confessed to being a Cylon. He didn't want to believe it, Saul had been his friend for many years and he felt betrayed. "Oh, forgot about him." He said taking another drink. "People are constantly gossiping, they were gossiping before my relationship with Laura ever started. That's why I don't speak to the press, they are immature idiots to say the least." He said shaking his head. "I thought so too son.." He said as he felt overwhelmed with emotion.

"_No!" Lee's screams rang through the CIC intercom. Bill stood there gripped to the table, looking at the monitors trying to see where exactly they were._

"_Lee?!" He yelled into the receiver, "Get the hell out of there, now. Both of you."_

"_She's not coming back, Dad. She's gone." Lee spoke as tears fell from his face and he turned the Viper around and headed back towards Galactica slowly from the Nebula. _

_Bill stood there and dropped the phone, Kara was gone. Everyone that stood around him was silent but had their eyes glued to him. "We jump when Lee gets back." He spoke silently as he turned and walked out of the room._

_Once inside of his quarters, he slammed the door shut and screamed as loud and hard as he possibly could. Tears streaming down his face as he walked over to the ship he was constantly working on and threw it against the wall, watching the model break into a million pieces. _

He remembered every part of that day, and it was all flooding back now. Looking up at Lee, he shook his head and pursed his lips.

"You knew about Kara and I?" Lee shifted uncomfortably, "It ended when she married Sam on New Caprica. He's a good guy and all, but...he isn't me." He shook his head, "I loved her and you let her go off on some frakking suicide mission just to make her happy...or was it just to get her out of your hair. I know the President wasn't crazy about all of this. She still doesn't believe Kara's even human."

Bill laughed halfheartedly and shook his head, "Like you said, people are constantly talking. I've seen the way you two look at each other, but it was never my place to say anything about it Lee." He said as he swirled the scotch around in the glass. "We don't know if it's a suicide mission or not-" He stopped knowing he was just trying to remain positive instead of face reality at the moment. "The President is the one who asked if there was a ship available." He said giving his son a look. "She came back once before, she will do it again." He stopped and sighed, "It's not about happiness, Lee! It's about finding frakking Earth. She said she knew the way and I believed her. Quit blaming this all on me. I'm doing what is best for the fleet."

"So it is about getting her out of your hair." Lee shook his head, "You just sent all your best frakking pilots off and for what? You sent them on a suicide mission. She isn't going to come back, Dad. If they jump far enough, they'll never be able to find us, and if we're attacked, who is to say we will be able to protect ourselves?" He glared, "What the frak are you doing? Trying to make your girlfriend happy? Listen to yourself. This is ludicrous. This is not safe whatsoever." He stood, pacing ever so slightly, "The President put me in this position to make the choices that she is unable to. Why didn't you come to me? Why did you take her word as the word of the gods? This is not right and you know it. This is not what is best. We would have found it with the coordinates that Gaeta gave to Hoshi."

"No, gods damn it!" He yelled, slamming his hand down on the table. "I sent some of our best pilots, I am not going to leave Galactica in the hands of trainees!" Bill shook his head, "All that is what ifs! We could be attacked right now, but it's not happening. And you should be gods damn grateful for that." A glare came whenever Lee mentioned him taking orders from his girlfriend, "Nothing we ever do is one hundred percent safe. But it works. It keeps the people in the fleet breathing and alive. Gaeta has been wrong several times, and if there is another way to Earth I am not going to pass it by." He said standing whenever his son did. "Because this isn't your call! You are not the person I answer to!" He said as he walked around the table, getting in Lee's face. "What else you got? Seeing that we are playing the blame game. What else have I done to frakking piss you off Lee?" He said taking in a sharp breath. "Maybe I am wrong for trusting Starbuck, and maybe the pilots that agreed to go are as well. But things like this have happened before, the circumstances are different now though that involves a loved one. I'm trying to find earth, not only for you or myself, but for the entire fleet." He said getting closer.

"No, Dad." Lee glares, going toe to toe with the man, "You keep using this excuse of Earth so that you don't look like a failure. You want to know what I think? That's what I think. People are beginning to doubt you, especially with this alliance with the Cylons, as they should. This may be a different breed of Cylons, but they're still toasters in my book. Tigh being one of them may be hard as hell, but you don't see me crying in a corner, do you?" He shakes his head, "Kara should have stayed here. Even if it was in solitary for the rest of her days. I don't think she's right, but she would have been here. What if the roles were reversed? What if the President told you she needed to go find Earth? What if she told you she needed to go on a suicide mission? Would you be so willing to let her? I guarantee you that you wouldn't."

"Earth is our main frakking goal, Lee! What do you think we are doing up here?!" He yelled, throwing his arms up in the air shaking his head in disbelief. "Kara could not stay on this ship Lee, you're lucky Roslin didn't throw her out the damn airlock. She already tried to shoot her in the head and missed. At close range." He said glaring, "The roles are not reversed and the decision has already been made. You can be mad at me all you frakking want, but I do not regret my order." Walking over to the hatch, he opened it up and turned towards his son, "Now get the hell out of here, I'm tired of this shit." He couldn't tell which was getting to him more, the emotions, or the scotch.

"Yeah, of course you are. People want answers. You made promises you haven't been able to keep. They're hungry, sick, tired. Think about the people instead of your frakking ego for once in your life." Lee yelled back at the man, storming out of the cabin, he punched the metal wall. Full of frustration and anger toward his father.

Slamming the door behind his son, tears escaped his eyes finally and he picked up the bottle of scotch and downed as much as possible before slamming it on the table. So much anger, sadness, and loss was filled inside of him and he didn't know how to get rid of it. He didn't know what to do at all. Crying harder, he walked into the bathroom to attempt to calm himself down, but as he went to turn on the water, Bill punched the mirror instead. The glass shattering little by little all over the floor and in the sink, with his hand now bleeding. He continued to punch the mirror over and over again, determined to get every single piece out of it.

Laura Roslin, having finished treatment, was being wheeled back toward the cabin she shared with the Admiral. She noticed the young man storm out and stood with conviction. "I can handle this. You go ahead. Thank you very much." She replied gingerly. Laura grasped onto the ledges of the wall as she slowly made her way to the hatch. Though it would have only been seconds to reach the front door if she let the staffer push her there, she instead chose to use the fifteen minutes to reach the door on her own. She opened it on her own, stepping through and looking around. She quickly noticed the two tumblers on the table, "Bill?" She called, almost certain she could hear crying from the bathroom. She slowly walked over, holding each piece of furniture as she went, "Oh gods, Bill." She felt the pure anger illuminating off of the man.

Bill continued to punch the mirror, not have noticing Laura entering the room. Tears continued to stream down his face, blood covering his skin along with the pieces from the mirror. Putting all of his force into his punches, he hit harder and harder.

Laura gently touched his arm, weakly attempting to pull him from it, "Bill, stop." Her soft voice had a great deal of fear in it and it was obvious, "Bill." She swallowed, trying to get between him and the mirror.

Once he saw Laura, he backed up and leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly until he reached the floor and covered his face. He could smell the scotch coming off his breath as he cried harder and sat still on the ground, the blood now smearing onto his face. He was far from reality, Bill was gone right now. He desperately needed to get back.

Laura slowly sunk to the floor, taking him into her arms. She wasn't sure if she should say anything, but continued to cradle the large man in her thin arms. She brings a trembling hand to his face to gently stroke the hair at his temples. The woman softly placed a kiss against his head. Tears came to her own eyes as she couldn't stand seeing him in so much pain. She held him as tight as she possibly could, which wasn't very tight at all. Softly clearing her throat, she motioned to his mutilated hands and knuckles, "Where is the first aid kit?"

Bill sat still as he felt Laura wrap her arms around him, he continued to cry as he attempted to calm himself down, but it was not working. He had snapped. Hearing the question, he motioned to the cabinet underneath the sink and refused to uncover his face. Bill felt embarrassed, he didn't feel like the great leader he should have been. Yes, he was a failure, he had made unkept promises to the fleet and still didn't have any answers. He had now lost two of his children, had one pop back up and then sent her on another suicide mission. He didn't know how to feel.

Laura slowly edged herself over to the cabinet, taking out the small tin canister before prying his hands from his face. She leaned in, kissing his lips tenderly, "Everything is fine. If you want to talk about it, I'm here. If you don't, I'm still here." She offered him a smile, taking tweezers from the case, "I'm doing this, but only so we can wait a little bit before going to see Doctor Cottle...we must make sure you didn't break anything." Her hands continue to tremble as she attempts to delicately remove shards of the mirror glass from his knuckles.

Bill, one intoxicated mess, listened to her words after their lips parted from each other and shook his head, pulling his hands back from her. "It doesn't matter, they are fine. Laura, just go rest." He said, still not making eye contact.

She shook her head, "Stop and let me do this. It's hard enough as it is." She reached a hand up to stroke his cheek. Laura leaned back in, kissing him again, "Besides, I'm already down here on the floor. You may as well let me."

Pulling back from the kiss, he shook his head glaring at her, "Hard for you? You didn't just send your daughter on a suicide mission, Laura! You didn't lose someone twice! I was finally starting to come to terms with her death when she popped out of the blue." Pulling his hands away he shook his head and looked at the ground. "Now my son hates me even more than he already did, and I am letting down the entire fleet again because I still don't have answers. I can't even do my job. So yeah, I can see how this is very hard for you. Just go and leave me here." He said taking in a deep breath as the tears continued to fall down his face.

Laura sat there, staring at him and feeling the heated rush of tears return to her eyes, "You want to wallow in self-pity instead of proving Lee wrong and making Kara proud, then by all means, Bill, you go ahead. There's still a race of people who are looking to us, to you and to myself, for guidance. They're looking for answers just like we are and we're just as confused and distraught as they are." Her voice was dry and weak with emotion, "I meant it was hard to hold the frakking tweezers still because no matter what I do, my hands shake all the time. That's what I meant." She let the tears fall down her cheeks freely, "So, are you going to let me tend to your frakking hands or not?"

Bill sat there quietly, shaking his head back and forth to what she was saying. "They need to be looking to someone frakking else. I'm too old for this shit." He said as he looked at the woman sitting in front of him and watched the tears roll down her cheeks. "And what if I just don't care anymore? I mean for gods sakes you don't even care about taking care of yourself. I get something to not care about." He mumbled under his breath as he listened to her question and sat still for a moment before slowly letting one of his hands go into her lap.

She looked down at his mangled hand and swallowed, "I accepted treatment today." Her voice was quiet, barely even audible if it weren't for the confined spaces of the bathroom, "You asked me to do it, so I did." Laura slowly held his hand at the wrist as she pulled out the larger pieces of mirror glass before attempting the smaller ones. The tears continued though, "You are too old, so am I. I'm too old to have Cancer twice and I'm too old to have fallen in love with a stubborn frakking mule."

He sat quietly, listening to her confess to him that she had went to treatment for the first time in days. "Oh like you are not a stubborn sarcastic bat as well?" He said sarcastically as he shook his head. He winced at a piece of glass getting removed from his hand and laid his head back against the wall.

"Yes, but you knew exactly what you were getting into with me. I couldn't smell the scotch on your breath when I met you." Laura tried her hardest not to injure him, though it was a feat in and of itself with her hands, "I even ate the food you left out because you asked me too." She knew that sometimes a cleaner would come in to deliver fresh fruit among other things, new food as well. The Admiral and President would always receive the best there was to offer. "I don't need you turning into Saul."

"I am nothing like Saul." He snapped back and gave Laura a look, he had hardly spoken to the man since the day he revealed himself as one of the final five. Saul was still a traitor in his book, even with the Cylon alliance that was made.

"I hear he and the blond Cylon that was in the brig before are living together now. He's given up drinking for her. Can you believe that?" Laura sighed, "Everything around here is different, even him." She smirked up to him, "You're doing great with this. I know it must hurt."

"I don't want to talk about Saul, Laura." He said as he looked down at the ground knowing that the woman tending to his injured hands was correct, he had been too dependent on the bottle nowadays, but it was the only thing that really calmed him down quickly when he was at his edge.

"All I'm saying is next time you want to drink, find me instead." She sighed, attempting to sit up straight, "We should really call Cottle for this. I'm going to end up hurting you instead of helping you." Laura reached a hand out to touch his cheek again.

Bill nodded his head slowly, agreeing to her suggestion about his alternative to drinking and listened to the words that poured from her mouth. "I'm not going to Sick Bay." Bill stated, knowing he didn't- couldn't let anyone else see him like this. Feeling her hand on his cheek, he turned and kissed the inside of her palm before standing to his feet slowly and then leaned down, helping up Laura.

"Thank you." She held onto him, "I can give him a call. He usually answers me pretty fast." Laura smirked, "Promise me you won't let it build like that again. Promise me you'll talk it out or go to the gym and use a punching bag instead of a mirror. I don't like to see blood all over you. " She swallowed, "It reminds me of other things."

"Watch your step," He mumbled as they made their way out of the bathroom that was covered in the broken mirror pieces. Hearing her plead, he nodded his head and went over to the bed, sitting her down before taking a seat beside of her.

Laura leaned back, picking up the phone above the bed and called upon the head doctor of the Sickbay. She told him of their ordeal and he agreed to come and treat the man, just to give him a half hour. Hanging the phone up, she looked back to Bill, leaning in, she kissed his lips deeply. The blood could only remind her of when he was shot all those years ago. It made her feel helpless even though she had nothing to do with it. She held him close to her, knowing she herself was just as covered with the murky red stuff as he was, "I love you, okay?" She mumbled against his hair.

He sat quietly and still as he listened to Laura make the call down to Doctor Cottle, and sighed. He was still feeling embarrassed about the whole situation, he hated having to have someone care for him. Laura was sick and this was probably the last thing she needed. Feeling her kiss, he returned the same amount back and wrapped his arms around the woman as she pulled him closer. Hearing her say those three words, he smiled a little thinking back to the first time she told him that. Pressing a kiss to her bare neck, he breathed in her perfume she always wore and squeezed her a little tightly. "I love you too.." He said quietly.

She swallowed, hearing him say it meant more to her than she herself saying it. "Cottle should be here soon." She leans into him, kissing him once more. She knew that he knew kissing her neck was one of her weak points. Laura backed up a little bit, biting her lip in a smirk, "Not right now." She replied softly, putting a hand up. "Wait until he gives you an all clear."

Bill laughed as her mind went to the gutter, when his action was simply to kiss the woman. "Yes, Madame President." He said as he refused to let go of her, holding her tightly to him. Right now, he needed Laura. Nothing more, nothing less. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he tried his hardest to keep his hands off of her afraid of getting blood all over her clothes. "And thank you for taking care of me." He said knowing that the whole situation was hard for the woman.

Laura slowly sat on his lap with a moan. At times it was hard for her to move so fluidly like she once did before. She held onto him just as much, "I'm sorry I'm all-" She held her hand out, smirking as it shook, just like it always did, "I wish I could do more for you." She gently stroked the back of his neck with her nails, "And don't worry about this suit. I can...I will figure something out."

Bill helped her into his lap and shook his head, "You've done enough." He said quietly as he examined her suit, feeling bad. "I'll find you a new one." He said before holding onto her tighter, rubbing her back a little and kissing her cheek. A few minutes later there was a knock on the hatch, he helped Laura off of him and went over opening the door and letting Doctor Cottle enter.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, putting out his cigarette as he laid his kit on the table and pointed to the chair. "Sit down."

Bill shook his head, "Got into a fight with the mirror, it called me old. I obviously lost." He said shrugging his shoulders as he sat down in the chair and gave his hands to the man. After a good ten to fifteen minutes of picking all the shards of glass out of his skin, Cottle bandaged him up and gave him some ointment along with pain medicine.

"You should see the other guy." Laura grinned, folding her arms as she sat at the edge of the rack, watching the men who had grown to mean so much to her, "Thank you so much, Doctor Cottle." She leaned forward a little, "Thank you for taking time out of your already busy schedule to remedy the childlike actions of the Admiral."

"Eh, I figure someone with brains needs to run this frakking ship. Can't have the only person with them perishing." He said smirking and patted the Admiral on the back, "This old fart will be fine." He said before nodding his head to Laura and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"He calls me 'young lady'." Laura leaned back a little, moaning again, "We should just call it a night."

Bill smirked at her comment and nodded his head, looking down at his wristwatch seeing there was only thirty minutes left of his shift. He slowly got up and took off the Admiral pins on his collar before taking off one of his many suits and put it in the hamper. Placing his glasses in their case on the nightstand, he got into the bunk and laid his head on the pillow sighing, looking at his bandaged hands.

Laura swallowed, slowly undressing herself before slipping into the rack next to him. "They're going to hurt in the morning." She pulled the blankets up to cover them before wrapping her arms tightly around him and leaning into his chest, "Cottle didn't give you anything?"

He helped the woman get into the bed after she took off her clothing and brought her body closer to his own, feeling her bare skin against his own. "He put on the ointment before bandaging them, the pain medication is for after a meal." He said kissing her forehead as he rubbed her back up and down with his fingertips.

"I just don't want you in pain." She whispered, listing to the rhythmic thumping of his heart, "Be careful with them. I don't want you accidentally slamming them in a hatch or hitting them on something. You have to take your time with them and no boxing." Laura slowly glanced up to him, "I don't know what was said between you and Lee, but you have to make it right. I can't have the two of you at each other's throats."

"I'll take them when I need them." He assured the woman as he listened to her words, "Laura-" he tried to stop her, "Laura, I know. I'll be fine." He said as he met her eyes, "I'll fix it, just don't worry." He said kissing her lips. "What did you eat today?" He asked as he pulled her closer.

"The fruit you set out for me." Laura smirked, proud of herself, "And the Tofu salad that they were offering in Sickbay. It actually didn't taste all that bad." She shook her head, "What about you?" She slouched against him, knowing their closeness was important to the both of them.

Bill smiled, hearing that she did in fact finally eat the food he had been leaving out for her, "Good girl." He said patting her ass a bit before thinking, "I had a sandwich this afternoon in the kitchen and some fruit." Kissing her lips once more, he smiled as she slouched into him, her perfume now filling his nostrils even more.


	5. Chapter 5

Laura rounded the corner, her feet thumping against the metal floor of the Galactica. "Excuse me." She mumbled, putting a hand up to push her way through if necessary. Doctor Cottle had told her that with the medication she was on, there would be some great days and some terrible ones. It was a magnificent day. Clad in gray sweatpants and a matching zippered sweatshirt, her head wrapped in the violet scarf that Bill had given her. She couldn't help but smile.

Standing in the CIC, Bill was going over a few flight plans with Saul whenever the phone rang. Walking over to the receiver, he brought it to his ear and listened to the information and smirked, "Thank you." He said before hanging up the phone and excusing himself. Walking out to the halls, he watched the woman running around, her head lowered and not paying attention. Standing at the top of the steps, he arched his eyebrows and blocked her path, waiting for her to see him.

She slowly comes to a stop when she noticed a boding figure who just wasn't going to move. Laura slowly picked her head up, smirking, "Hi." She kept her feet moving as to not lower her heart rate. "You should come for a run. It's invigorating."

"I'm working, dear." He said looking at her up and down and smirked, shaking his head back and forth. "You look much better.." Glancing at the time, he returned his attention back to Laura, "Did you go to your appointment today?"

"There are good days and there are bad days. Today is a good day." She grinned wider, "I skipped today because I...well, I felt like this." Laura shrugged, "I go most days."

"You feel that way because you have not received the Doloxan treatments." He said quietly as he put his hands on her arms and tried his best to slow her down as she jogged in place. "You should be putting this energy you have into getting back into the role as Madame President. I've had just about enough of Zerek's power plays." Bill said sighed, "Please Laura.."

"I've given Lee most of what I do, Bill. Anymore I'm just..." She shook her head, "I'm President in name only. I just want to be me and be happy for the first time in a long time without having to worry about the souls of thousands of people. Is that too much to ask?" Laura glanced around at the people making their way through the halls, some looking at them, others too busy to look. She leaned in, kissing Bill tenderly, "Let's enjoy the time we have left."

"No, you deserve to live a little. Just don't overdo it, will ya?" He asked as he kissed her lips and let his hands find her waist. He knew that Lee had been taking care of everything for the woman, and he was very appreciative for that, but still- Laura was the president, and if she stuck to treatment and a regular schedule, she would be strong enough to reclaim her position. Hearing her last comment, he nodded his head knowing that he could not put a date on the time they had left. He was not too sure about anything. Nobody was.

"I'll talk to Zarek, tomorrow, but today...I'm just..." She shrugged, grinning, "I'm just living." Laura pecked his lips again, "You're worried about me taking care of myself, maybe you should do so as well."

"I'm fine, Miss Track and Field." He said giving her a look, he exercised in the gym, he lifted weights, and ate healthy. Sure smoking never helped, and old age was a major factor too. Watching her grin, he felt himself giving into her. Believe it or not, Laura was the only person he let push him over, most people thought he played favoritism with Lee, others thought Kara, but it was Laura in the end. He just wanted to make her happy. Kissing her back, he spanked her as he moved out of the way. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I'll try not to." She continued past him, pushing through the people. Laura, for the first time in a long time, felt free. She felt like this was a new chapter in her life. Sure she'd talk to Zarek tomorrow, but she would handle this today. She would just work on being free today. Laura closed her eyes a moment before sprinting down the hallway and opening them.

Bill watched her until she was out of plain sight and returned to the CIC, observing some of the vipers that were out in training mode. Looking at the man who he once called his friend, he sighed to himself, still in shock that he was in fact a Cylon.

Saul Tigh looked up at the DRADIS, smirking to himself, "Everything is clear." He glanced back to his longtime friend, "Heard the President is doing laps around the place?"

"She thinks she is training for a marathon." He said shrugging his shoulders as he signed off on some paperwork and handed it back to one of the officers behind the desk.

His voice rumbled with a chuckle before he began to nod, "Mine won't let me smoke, drink, eat anything that she doesn't consider healthy. I'm glad Roslin's doing well finally. That means she's getting better..." Saul folded his arms, just watching his friend, pleased that Bill could forgive him enough to just exist there and work together.

"It builds character, Saul." He said as he took off his glasses and cleaned them with the handkerchief he kept inside one of his pants pockets. "She could be getting better, today she blew off another appointment with Cottle."

"Did she give you a reason?"

"She wants to live and be happy. And she deserves that." He said glancing up at the other man.

"At what cost?" Tigh shook his head, "What if she could continue to get better?" He chuckles a little to himself, "Never thought I'd see the day where I wanted the President to live and continue to be a thorn in our sides."

"She only took one day off, she will return to her regular schedule tomorrow. But today is the first time she has had any kind of energy." He said laughing a little at his comment before shaking his head back and forth.

"That's what she says." He smirked, "Hey, would you mind if I head out early? Caprica has an appointment with Cottle and...I kind of want to be there for it." Saul looked younger, more energetic, more alert. Not because of the newfound knowledge that he was a Cylon some months before, but because he was going to be a father, "I think she finds out what it is today."

He cringed a little inside knowing there was a Cylon child aboard the ship, that someone unworthy of living was about to be brought into the word when the person he was madly in love with was slowly exiting it. Nodding his head up and down, he smiled a little knowing he had to keep peace. No matter how much hate he had towards the man right now, he still saw the man as his oldest friend. "Sure. Let me know what you find out." He said before returning his eyes to the DRADIS.

Saul turned a moment, hearing him, "Yeah, alright." His voice was quiet, actually surprised Bill gave a shit about anything that was happening in his life more or less what was happening in his life that he was spending with another Cylon. Making his way to the Sickbay, Saul noticed Laura Roslin jogging in, claiming she made a mistake and that she wanted the treatment today after all. He smirked, knowing it would make his friend happy.

Laura spent a few hours in the chair, receiving the poison into her veins that Cottle claimed were going to stop the progression of her disease. She watched the people around the place, hearing shouts and screaming among other things.

Cottle walked over with a chart in his hand and a cigarette hanging from his mouth, "How are we doing, young lady?" He mumbled as he pulled the curtain closed and checked the monitors and tubing.

"I was running laps." Laura grinned toward him, "I was breathing regularly and...and I wasn't shaking, but...the Admiral gave me some kind of guilt trip and..." She swallowed, looking up at her IV pole, "And he deserves me trying harder. Not only for us, but for him."

Cottle listened quietly as he flicked some of the ashes from his cigarette onto the floor and wrote down some information on her charts. "Running laps, you say?" He said with wide eyes and laughed a little, "Well you keep coming to your appointments, you can run them every day as much as you want." He said sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking at the woman. "And for yourself." He spoke quietly, "You deserve to get better, to be healthy." He said shrugging his shoulders, "He's keeping your best interest in mind."

Laura reached out, touching the man on the arm, "You and I both know that isn't how these drugs work. They not only kill the cancerous cells, but usually the healthy cells around them as well. We both know that today's wellness was only possible by the fact that I did not come here today." She offered him a small smile, "Healthy is a pipe dream. I won't be cancer free unless we find another woman pregnant with a baby like Hera on board. This just slows it down. This just makes me alive longer, but by leaving me a heap of trembling extremities and nausea...what's the cost of being around longer?"

"You have people who love you, and need you." He said standing up and shaking his head, "The medicine does slow down the process, you are right. But it keeps you here with us longer, so your loved ones can get as much time as possible with you." He said taking an inhale of his smoke, "You are already leaving them soon enough, why are you trying to rush the process? Why would you want to hurt the people who care for you?" He asked as he picked up the chart.

"My parents, my sisters...they all died before the attacks. I lost Billy during the... and now all I have...all I have now is Bill." Laura watched him, letting a smirk creep across her face, "And you?" She teased gently, "It isn't about giving up, it's about making memories. I don't want Bill's last memory to be of me dying in a bed with tubes seeping from my arm. I don't want that and you shouldn't either."

"You have Lee, you have Kara, and all the people of the fleet. Who are all supporting you." He said making it clear to her that there were many other people she had in her life. Shaking his head slightly, he thought for a moment, "And memories shouldn't be of you laying in rack too weak to get up every other day because you are not taking the medication that can make you stronger. These spurts of energy you are having are only because of your detoxification from the medicine you stopped taking. And let me tell you something Laura, it's more dangerous to take matters into your own hands. One day you are going to wake up and feel like taking a jog, and in the middle of that you are going to hit the floor and you will not get back up. And based on your rate of missed sessions, I'd say it would be soon. When you take the medicine it wears your body out, I am aware of that. But it also makes you a little bit stronger with each dose. Once you get back on schedule we can reduce the amount of fluids you need, and you can have energy all while taking this medicine. But you have to have trust in me. You have to let me take control of this matter, I'd rather not sign on your body bag until we are on Earth." Hearing screaming, he sighed and put out his cigarette rolling his eyes. "Hold your frakking horses, I'm coming." He said giving Laura an exhausted look and a smile before closing the curtain behind him.

"Exactly." Laura whispered to herself, shaking her head. She knew better though. She knew how these things went after taking care of her mother. Once the cancer returned, there was usually no hope. However, she trusted Cottle. She had trusted him for years and she would never stop, even if she knew otherwise. Laura leaned her head back onto her pillow with a soft thud. She followed the lines in the ceiling with her eyes.

Glancing at his wristwatch, he decided to take a break and go find Laura, only whenever he reached the cabin she was nowhere to be found. After splashing some water on his face, he dried off with a towel and went over to the kitchen area of the room. Pulling out a candy bar of dark chocolate, Laura's favorite, he exited his room and walked down the halls of the ship, looking around for the woman. "Where the frak did you run to?" He mumbled to himself as he rounded the corner by Sickbay. Looking inside he saw her laying in the bed, her head rested back on the pillow as she received the treatment. Taking in a sigh of relief he walked slowly inside the area, nodding as he passed Cottle and then slowly walked over to the woman. Her eyes were shut as she laid still on the bed. It killed Bill every single time she was in here, but it was the only place she could get her medication. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the center of her forehead and pulled up a chair to sit down. "I thought you ran off and left me for someone else." He said teasingly as he took her hand into his own and let his thumb run back and forth over her skin.

"I did." Laura offered him a smirk as she pointed to Cottle. She blinked slowly, licking her lips, "You aren't allowed to guilt trip me into everything." His hands were rough in comparison to her own and some part of her loved it. She loved when he showed concern, a stark contrast to the man he once was when she first met him, "You're finished for the day?"

"I didn't think I was Laura, I thought you were still running around the ship. I was only giving you my opinion. Like you said, you're a grown woman, you make your own decisions." He said looking at her, knowing that he agreed to letting her have freedom. Hearing her question, he shook his head back and forth, "Just taking a short break." He said as he laid the candy bar down on the bed next to her hand and sat back in the chair, pulling out the book he had wanted Laura to start reading.

Laura couldn't help but begin to giggle, "Read it to me." She picked up the candy bar, slowly unwrapping it before breaking off a small piece and placing it into her mouth. "Before you begin, do you think you'll be called down to the CIC in the middle of a chapter?"

Hearing her laugh put a smile on his face as he let out a dramatic sigh, "I guess I can." He said smirking before opening it up and turning to the first page of chapter one. "Probably not, things are slow and Saul should be heading back up there soon..." He said as his eyes wandered over across the room to the man with the blonde Cylon getting an ultrasound.

She slowly followed his eyes, "I've never seen him smile like that." She smirked, adjusting her position on the bed, "He looks happy.

"I guess..." He said before returning his attention to the book and cleared his throat. "Chapter One." He said looking up to see if Laura was listening. "Silence creeped over the room as the sun went down in the sky, the dark was approaching and that was the worst part of the day." Bill continued to read to the woman laying in the hospital bed until he finished the first chapter and closed the book after marking the page. Picking up her hand, he wiped off some of the chocolate and kissed the top of her hand, laughing.

Laura groggily glanced over to him, "I can do that." It was obvious that the Diloxin was the culprit for zapping all of her strength and spirit. She picked up her hand once more, noticing the trembling had returned. Laura watched him closely, "it's late...you should get back to work." She mumbled, moaning when she attempted to adjust herself again, "Tigh and Caprica went back to their cabin and we're taking up a bed." She cleared her throat, "I would request he give me treatment in the cabin, but I know the dangers of the drug."

Bill nodded his head as he let go of her hand the minute she commented and he watched her. "You are still getting medicine." He said as he picked up the wrapping paper and leaned forward in the seat. "If you want it in the Cabin, I can get it set up Laura. I'm sure a nurse can come check on you every half hour." He said trying to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

"Diloxin can cause brain bleeds and seizures. The latter being very common. I think you'd rather I be here than in the cabin." She offered him a smile, "If that were to happen." Laura nodded, holding his hand tightly, "Is there something you'd like for supper? I can try to get it."

Bill hardly knew anything about Cancer, just the little he had learned while spending time with Laura. Hearing the effects it had, he nodded his head and sighed, "I guess." He said stopping when hearing her comment, "You cook?" He said arching his eyebrows and laughed a little too much.

"It was a hobby of mine." She smirked, "I like sushi, but I'm pretty sure that isn't readily available around here...nor has it been for some years."

"I'll eat whatever you fix, doll." He said standing to his feet and leaning down to kiss her lips softly, letting his hand cup her cheek and run his thumb back and forth against her skin.

"I can't promise anything concrete, but I'll make sure you have food waiting for when your shift is over." Laura chuckled to herself, "I'm just going to take a nap...maybe when I awaken, this will be finished." She motions to the intravenous bag attached to the top of the pole on wheels.

Bill nodded his head and kissed her once more before squeezing her hand, "I love you." He spoke softly as he placed the book down on the table next to the bed and walked out of the covered area, closing back the curtain. Throwing the wrapper to the candy bar in the trash can, he made his way down to CIC. Once entering the door he was bombarded with information and questions, Bill sighed knowing his shift would be ending much later than he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

He watched as his officers moved in after Gaeta's orders, pointing their weapons directly at him and Saul Tigh. "What the hell is this?!" Bill yelled, looking over at the shorter man, currently hobbling down from his command post in the CIC. "I am relieving you of your duties, Admiral. You are not the same man you were when we started this journey. You are no longer needed on this ship. You are being charged with Treason." With the directions being yelled at, he watched as men he had gotten to know personally pushed him out of the door down towards the brig. Feeling their hands wrap around his arm to move him faster, he jerked out of reach, "Don't touch me." He snarled through his teeth as he watched the younger men back down.

Meanwhile in the bunks, Kara, who had just returned from the Demetrius hours before, stood by herself holding a gun pointed straight towards the door. She had to come up with some plan to help, some way to get rid of Gaeta and Zarek, the direct source of the problem. Hearing the door begin to open, she took in a deep breath before holding her weapon steady, aiming straight for the center, waiting for whoever was about to come inside. She flinched a little as the door was swung open fast and let out a sigh of relief simultaneously with Lee Adama, who quickly jumped into the room and shut the hatch door.

"What the hell is going on out there?!" She whispered in a loud tone as she moved closer to him, her voice and face filled with fear.

"Gaeta has took over the CIC, all the weapons are being surveillanced by his men, and they just escorted my father and Tigh down to the Brig." He said as he began to search around the bunks for any weapons or other personal items they could use.

"Motherfrakker..." She said rubbing her head as she tried to think.

The cell door closed with a slam and the officers walked outside of the Brig, standing guard after closing the door behind them. Bill turned and looked at Sigh shaking his head, "What the hell is wrong with these people?" He asked sitting down and taking off his glasses.

"This is mutiny." Saul paced slowly, folding his arms. "The fact that they all know what I am doesn't help anything. You look like the enemy to most of them right now. If this were several years ago, I'd have felt the same way." He paused, leaning against the cell, "We have to figure out a way to get the frak out of here."

"Well unless you can squeeze your gut through those metal rods, I think were frakked." He spoke as he stood up and let his eyes look at everything in the room, trying to think of a way out.

With a not so sturdy plan set in play, the two exited from the bunk and quickly ran throughout the cleared hallway. For all Gaeta knew, the ship had been cleared and everyone else was being held captive. As they passed Bill's room, Lee stopped and loaded his gun before beginning to turn open the hatch. "Slowly.." Kara spoke quietly as she held up her gun and stood to the side.

"They hurt Caprica and the baby and I'll kill them. I don't know if I have some kind of...some magic powers, but I will kill every last one of them." Saul nodded, "Did they let you speak with President Roslin?" He knew it was still difficult for the woman to get around. He knew she didn't see to be getting any better, at least not as much as she did when she was jogging the halls of the ship. "Damn it." He mumbled.

Bill listened quietly to Saul's remarks and then stopped when he heard him mention Laura, he quietly and slowly shook his head no, and continued to search the room. Not only was he concerned for his son's safety, seeing that he had not spoken to the boy in a couple of hours, he also was worried about the woman. She had been in the bunk all day, and god knows what Zarek would do if he got his hands on her finally.

With the hatch unlocked completely, Lee counted to three and pulled it open quickly, Kara storming in holding her gun and looking around. It appeared to be empty, "Madame President?" She called out as she proceeded to check over closet and look under everything. Lee came in behind the blond, doing the same. "First the ship, next my father, now the President. What the frak are we going to do?" He mumbled to himself as he kept his eyes looking at the door making sure nobody was trying to reopen it.

"Lee, we'll find them all." Kara shook her head, taking a breather as she slowly sits on a chair at the table, "I'm betting they have the Admiral someplace where he isn't going to be able to order people around. Tigh is probably with him, I know he won't go down without swinging." She glanced over to him, "I swear, Lee, we'll find them."

"You all were terrible hide and seek players when you were kids...weren't you." Laura's shaky voice calls to them as she rested a hand against the wall. The netting of her wig agitated her head and forced her to feel uncomfortable. Her mane was what she would always hide behind as a child and now that it wasn't available to her, this replacement was less than stellar, "Where is the Admiral?"

Kara shook her head and laughed in disbelief as she stood up and went over to help Laura to the table. Lee smirked and sighed, "They have escorted my father and Tigh to the brig. Gaeta and Zarek are in the CIC, that's all I know so far."

Laura nodded slowly, unsure of what to do. She took a deep breath, "I guess that means we're going to the brig." In the back of her mind, she knew Zarek would try something like this. She knew he was up to something when there were rumblings throughout the Quorum and no one could look her in the eye fully. "I've been thrown in prison, twice, I've been shot at, nearly tortured by Cylons...this is nothing compared to that. Our forces are larger than all of theirs." She said, then realized she had been hiding in this room for quite a while now, "Aren't they?"

Both Lee and Kara looked away from the President and Kara shook her head back and forth, "More than half of our crew has turned. So far the only people on our side are the ones you are looking at right now." She said as she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

"There has to be a way of checking." Lee said to himself as he walked over to his father's desk and searched around for a blueprint of Galactica. Once finding the map, he pulled it out and brought it back to the table spreading it out. Taking the pin out of his pocket, he began to circle the known areas of where hostages were being held and other known areas that were being guarded. There was only clear path that would get him to the middle without being caught. Lee looked up at Kara and thought for a moment before choosing the words to say. "I'll go to the middle and then crawl into the vents, they open here at the bottom," he said pointing to the exact spot, " I can maneuver throughout the walls for a bit just to get a look inside almost each area and maybe get a total estimate of how many are guarding. Once I come back, we will establish a route that will work from the outside in. Gaeta might be smart, but he is definitely not that smart." He said showing the two women to the major amount of distance between each station. "By the time they reacted to anything we would already be out." Lee walked back over getting all of his father's weapons he knew he had in store back here. "Kara, you will need to plan the quickest route to get down to the abandoned hangar deck on the south side of the ship. Sorry Madame President, but I can't have you getting shot on here." He said laying a small handgun for Laura on the table.

Laura glanced down to the sidearm before looking back up to him, "It isn't about me getting shot. It's about you saving Bi-" She paused, shaking her head, "I thought I handled this...The only way we can beat this is if we call upon the help of the rebel Cylons. They're...they're all trained, I believe. They may fight alongside you." She swallowed, it went against all her principles. Asking Cylons to help fight Humans? That was something Gaius Baltar did at one time. Are the lines really blurred this time around? She placed her hand over her chest, shaking her head a little, "Protect the people. I am of your last concern."

Lee was not too fond of asking the Cylons for help either, he had a hard time wrapping his mind around it after Boomer shot his father. To think there were rebel Cylons sounded absolutely ridiculous and like a trick. Listening to the woman speak, he nodded his head up and down as he moved over to the door. Holding onto his loaded weapon he looked at Kara and the President, "Wish me luck." He said with a scared laugh as he opened up the hatch and quickly closed it behind him once he was in the hallway.

She balled her hand into a fist as she slowly placed it against her lips, attempting to keep her tears at bay, "I hate that he has to do that...I hate that this is happening." Laura mumbled, slowly making her way to sit. She swallowed, folding her trembling hands together as she looked at the young woman, "I'm sorry you didn't find anything with the Demetrius...I prayed to the gods that you would...believe it or not."

Kara watched Lee exit the room and closed her eyes, quickly wiping away the tears that had fallen and collected herself before turning around to listen to Laura. Helping the older woman to a chair, she sat down next to her, the gun still clutched tightly in her hand, ready to attack at any moment. The Demetrius had been a major bust, even though they were on the right track to Earth, people's emotions got in the way and utter chaos emerged forcing them all to come back to Galactica early. "Yeah..." Kara spoke quietly as she tried not to think about her failure.

"You tried and you did what you felt in your heart was right...couldn't ask for more than that." Laura shook her head, slowly pulling the sidearm close to her, "I hate weapons...I hate violence." She reached over, touching the young woman on the arm, "No matter what comes of this, Kara Thrace, It's been an honor watching you throughout these years. Seeing you pilot, seeing your groundwork...it was like a ballet of some sort..."

This was the first time since the gun incident that the two had been alone with each other, or had spoken to one another for that matter. Kara listened quietly as she felt a small smile appear on her face and looked over to the woman, tears burning her eyes. "Nothing will happen, Madame President." She was not expecting the other comment from the woman though, hearing her say it had been an honor watching her. Kara laughed a little and shook her head, "I'm sure you loved the parts where I was a pain in your ass as well." She said as she placed the gun on the table in front of her and played with her own fingers. The lines where they had all been broken by being slammed in the door evident, even to this day. Kara blocked out her childhood, she hated everything about it with all of her heart. Galactica was her home, this was the place where she had discovered herself, her abilities, where she grew up but still was allowed to act childish at times. Looking over to Laura, she studied her, all Kara had ever wanted was the woman's approval, and it seemed like in that moment she had finally received it.

"Do you know if anyone has been killed so far?" Laura's voice was small, worried. She knew Tom Zarek was capable of nearly anything and could justify any of his actions. He proved that after he started the explosions on Sagitaron. Felix Gaeta was a surprise to her though. He had returned as part of Starbuck's crew with the Demetrius, and returned without a leg. She could still hear him singing in the Sickbay. Singing instead of screaming. It was haunting.

Shaking her head, she let out an exhausted sigh, "No, I don't. In my opinion, probably a dozen people knowing Zarek and Gaeta, but I'm in the dark just like you." Her words trailed off into a whisper. She just wanted this to be over with, wanted things to return to somewhat normal, but that was impossible. The blond sat back in the chair, still playing with her fingers knowing it was a habit she did when she was scared, and bit down on her lower lip with her teeth. She prayed for Lee to return safely, knowing he was out there risking his ass just to get a peak. She prayed to the Gods that none of her friends had lost their life, she prayed that they were just trapped inside of a room being guarded by people they had once trusted. Kara knew she had to get them out if they wanted to even consider taking down the two men in the CIC, starting with the Admiral. Her father figure. The only man who would ever be in charge in her opinion.

"I fear for some of the Cylons with them. I fear they'll be injured and...We must account for the child. Has there been any word on her?" Laura swallowed, attempting to appear calm before the young woman. It wasn't easy, but she did her best. "I don't believe the Admiral or Colonel Tigh will go down without a fight. I...I hope they won't." She blinked, hunched over in her chair. "There are so many people that are important to this fleet that we must account for, Starbuck."

Her hands stopped whenever she heard the woman call her Starbuck, and in that moment she felt normal again. Looking up at the President, she took in a deep breath and thought for a moment. "The last time I saw Hera she was with Helo and Athena. I'm sure they are still in possession of her." She said nodding her head, knowing that even Gaeta was not that stupid to mess with the baby. With her now not shaky hands, she pulled over the blue print of the ship that Lee had got out and looked at the brig area. Thinking for a moment, she laughed in shock and grabbed a pin circling a few areas where she knew they could open up the ceiling tiles due to construction on the ship. "Think the Admiral can squeeze his gut through the ceiling?" She asked smiling, trying to lighten up the mood.

Laura smirked, then offered a deep chuckle, "I'm sure he'd try." She leaned back in her seat more with a soft moan, "If you have to go and help, please do. I don't want good resources being wasted on my protection, though I can bet Tom's forces will be on their way here very soon."

"I'm not leaving you, Laura." She said quietly as she continued to look over the blueprints and write down plans next to each area where hostages were. It was the first time Kara had ever called the woman by her first name.

She slowly glanced to the young pilot and smirked, "It isn't just leaving me. It's protecting others and that is much more important than I am."

"That is your opinion.." She mumbled as she stood up and walked over to the Admiral's desk, opening up the drawers and going through different files looking for manuals. "Dear Gods..." She said picking up handfuls of cigar boxes and laid them out onto the desk as she continued to rummage. After searching, she found a few more weapons stashed away and system manual that would help unlock the hatch by messing with the air. "Lee will be back soon and we will go get the others. We have not heard any guns fired yet." She said as she walked back over carrying the gigantic folder and dropped it onto the table.

"Yet..." Laura repeated, "Is there anything I can do?" She made a face, knowing there probably wasn't. She motioned to the large folder and glanced back to Kara, "What is this?"

"This is the manuals to all the systems that are run on the vaults and hatches." She said as she sat down next to Laura and opened up the folder, pulling out a stack of papers. "We are looking for the number that the air has to get at in order to cause a automatic release. This will allow me and Lee to go in and surprise the bastards." She said as she looked over at Laura and smiled a little, "Think you can shoot again like you did at me? We need another person covering our asses." She said as she placed some papers over in front of the woman and began the search.

"If you remember correctly, I missed." Laura smirked, looking through the papers, "Think they'll shoot a sick woman though? Do the Marines have any souls?" She chuckled a little to herself, shaking her head, "I'm betting not everyone thinks the same way they do. No one ever has a one hundred percent following. I can tell you that with certainty, that's how I lost an election."

"I think they will only be shooting at me and Lee, but if we get blasted, you should just fall over and pretend to be dead. I'm sure they would not second guess anything." She said laughing a little before becoming quiet, thinking back to the moment Gaius Baltar was elected President. It was a literal blow in the gut to everyone, she knew it must have been even more painful for Laura. Kara thought back to New Caprica and shuttered a bit. How she was imprisoned inside a mental facility, designed to look like her former Caprican apartment by the Cylon model Leoben for months. How she was taken away from her husband Sam, not knowing whether or not he was safe. Leoben had told her many horror stories of what they were doing to torture her friends. Saul's eye being the most painful one she could even bring herself to recalling. Kara had never spoke about what happened inside that apartment, it was a door that she wanted to be locked and never opened. She was sure she would have rather spoken about the abuse received from her mother then ever open up about New Caprica. Scanning over the papers more and more, she tried to get it out of her head. Hearing the door slowly begin to open, Kara stood up grabbing her gun and the one in front of Laura and moved in front of the woman, both guns aimed at the hatch. Once the door was open the entire way, Lee popped in quickly and held up his hands looking at Starbuck and closed the hatch behind him. Letting out a sigh of relief, she put the guns down and went over hugging the guy tightly and then pulled back. "What did you find?" She asked quietly as they moved back to the table.

"The conference room down the hall has two guards, the hostages in there include members of the Hangar Deck crew and Helo, Athena and Hera." Lee said as he turned to look at Laura, knowing she would want to know about the child. There are currently two guards in front of the brig, I am not sure about inside though. They will be a easy target." He said as his fingers pointed to different places on the blueprint. "Baltar and his women are still in their vault, no guards there." He said thinking for a moment, "The rest of the people have been shoved inside the storage rooms." Looking down at the paper work on the table, "What's this?"

"Manuals for the vaults, were trying to find the temperature the air needs to be at for the vault to automatically release."

"If you can find dry ice," he said looking around towards his father's bar area, "It can be used to alter the temperature gage and trick it into thinking the room is losing air."

Turning his attention to the President he looked down at her, "There is one available viper that has not been taken yet, mainly because nobody goes to South deck anymore after the airlock malfunction. When we get Helo, Athena, and Hera out one of them is going to fly you over to the rebel Cylon baseship. Now, Baltar is the only one with available wireless, they have not been able to turn him off since it's not connected directly through the ship. After we get a clear path, you can go in there and speak on the intercom to the fleet, but then you and Baltar will need to leave quickly."

"I feel as if I'm running away." Laura mumbled, then sighed, "Baltar? We're saving Baltar because we need to use his wireless? That's the only reason?" She teased a little, "We have to tread lightly with this. I don't trust him. As you well know." She paused, thinking back to when they spoke in the detention center while on New Caprica. She remembered being there, sitting on the cold dirt floor. The screams still haunted her. Torturing...so much torture. Laura nodded, "As long as we protect the child. We have to. She is the...she's what the other Cylons are after. The loyalists...they will attack when they hear our forces are strained and we've begun a civil war." She paused, tilting her head back to take a deep breath before continuing, "And they will stop at nothing to obtain not only the leaders of our fleet, myself included, and Hera Agathon. She must be protected at all cost."

Lee nodded his head up and down to her comment about Hera, "She will be Madame President." Looking at Kara, he sighed, "We need to move now if this is going to get done in time. I say we start with the brig, get Saul and my father out and then work our way from the inside out. After we get Hera, then we can go to Baltar and then go to the hangar deck." Pulling out a few more weapons he collected along the way, he laid them on the table and made sure they were loaded. "I've only seen two casualties so far as well." Kara picked up two weapons and put them into her pants waistband.

After collecting all the weapons, Lee went over to the hatch to check outside. Kara helped Laura up and handed her the gun, her arm wrapped around the woman's body. "Whatever happens, just hold the gun as tightly as possible. Visualize, aim, and shoot." She said quietly as they moved to the door.

"That's easier said than done, Lee." She mumbled under her breath. Laura moved along the pieces of furniture, slowly making her way to the door.


	7. Chapter 7

After successfully making it down the hallway without any problems, Lee put his hand up for Kara and Laura to stop where they were. Two guards were stationed outside of the door to the the brig. Backing up a little he turned to Kara and pointed to the ceiling tile that she would be using to go inside. The blond nodded her head up and down as she helped Laura over to a crate to sit her down before getting a boost from Lee. Sliding the tile slowly and quietly as possible, she took in a deep breath and used all of her force to climb up inside the vent.

"This makes me feel like...a robber of some sort." Laura whispered, "I once had a student who climbed through the vents in order to sneak out of the school. He was caught after falling through the ceiling, but it was still very entertaining." She moans softly, all of the physical things were beginning to get to her at that point. It was all too much for someone who had barely been active in months.

Kara listened to the woman talk as she laid flat on her stomach through the vent and rolled her eyes as she heard the student fell, "Thanks for the support, Madame President." She whispered loudly before vanishing in the metal ceiling.

Lee turned and looked at the woman and smirked, "Maybe the lesson for the day sucked and he just couldn't take anymore of it." He said shaking his head, of course teasing with her.

Laura chuckled softly, "During my class? Colony History was always one of my favorites. He was arrested a few years after for taking hostages at a museum, so..." She shrugged, motioning to Kara, "Are we supposed to follow her?" She glanced to him.

"No, Madame President, Kara is checking to see if there are any other guards that we can't see, like inside of room. If not, she is going to unlock my father and Tigh and then.." He said trailing off, "Well, they will either crawl back out, or we will take out the guards."

"Wouldn't it have been quicker to take the guards out regardless?" She glanced to him, "You're going to do that anyway...Not kill them, of course, just...knock them out..." Laura tried to listen intently as to what was happening on the other side of the door. Bill had to be safe. She was expendable, but the Admiral had to be safe for the rest of the fleet.

"Madame President, these turned guards are aiming to kill. If we just shoot- knock out the ones outside without checking first, there could be calls made from inside the brig alerting others that we are here." He said trying to explain to her, "Plus if my father and Saul can squeeze themselves out without anyone noticing, the more time we have to get to the hangar deck without any problems."

Kara moved her body very slowly throughout the vent, making sure not to make a sound, knowing you could hear it from outside. The ship had been constructed on many times before, there were boards down where the workers stood on when fixing the beams and Kara used these to her advantage as she searched around for a unsealed tile.

Tigh paced to and forth, finally taking a seat on the cot. He folded his arms, leaning against the bars, "This is all a crock of shit. Gaeta doesn't have a bone in his body that says leader. We'll get him, Bill...Someone will get him..."

Bill nodded his head as he stepped down off the cot and sat down, resting his elbows onto his knees. "It's Zarek as well, Saul." He said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes for a bit.

Finally finding the unsealed, Kara used her fingernails to lift it up slowly, praying it was not directly under one of the guards. After getting a corner up, she pulled her hair back and leaned down to look inside very slowly.

Bill raised his head, "Did you hear that?" He asked looking at the man standing next to him before he looked around the room.

Saul spots Starbuck and smirked, motioning to Starbuck with his eyes. He chuckled, tilting a head toward the two guards that were waiting outside the door. "Told you." He mumbled, "None in here, Starbuck." He replied quietly.

Bill stood to his feet and smirked a little bit as he looked up at the blonde's head that was peaking out of the ceiling above them and got off the cot. "About time you showed up." He whispered.

Kara rolled her eyes and held onto the ceiling until her feet touched the cot and let go, "You know I accept thank you's as well." She said quietly and jumped down before playfully hitting Bill in the arm. "Lee and the President are outside. Now you two have to get your guts up into that ceiling and crawl out." She said arching her eyebrow. "Think you can handle it?" She asked as she pulled out her gun and watched the door.

"Go ahead, Bill. I'll give you a boost." Saul rose from the bed, crouching slightly and folding his hands together. "It will probably be easier to pull me up."

Bill got up onto the cot and grabbed ahold of the ceiling and placed his foot into the man's hand before pulling himself into the vent. Once he was up all the way, he turned around and reached his hand down, helping up Saul. "Starbuck.." He whispered getting her attention after get Saul up. Kara put her gun up and jumped up onto the bed before holding onto Bill's hands as they pulled her up. Once in the vents, she placed the ceiling tile back where it was quietly and stood up onto the board walking slowly and quietly, pointing down to where the guards were.

Saul nodded, "We should take them out." He whispered, glancing to the other two people. He hated what was happening to the ship. He hated that they were making his friend who saved these people numerous times now, made to look like the bad guy here. He was simply attempting to keep everyone together and show an amount of trust. He proved to the ship that this could be done with Athena, and then once he himself was proven to be a Cylon, Bill accepted him after some time too. It could be done. He, as well as the other members of his resistance force back on New Caprica, were Cylons and none of them knew it. However, they saved humanity from that horrid planet. He glanced between Starbuck and his friend for an answer.

"The longer they know nothing is going on, the longer we have to get the President and Hera out of here." She whispered, shaking her head no to taking out the soldiers and moved to the vent where she had climbed in before. Peeking her head down, she glanced at Laura for a moment and then back at Lee, "Stack the crates that she is sitting on." She whispered, waiting for the man to do so before climbing out slowly and jumping down onto the floor, looking up as Bill and Saul came out one by one.

Laura looked to Bill, tears appeared in her eyes as relief. She quickly placed her hand in his, her other shaking with a pistol in it. "I'm glad you're okay." She whispered in his ear.

Bill smiled whenever he saw Lee and gave him a hug before turning his attention towards Laura. He had been so worried about her, knowing Zarek's feelings towards her, Bill was sure that one of the first things he would do would be hurt Laura. Taking her hand into his, he pulled her close and kissed her forehead before looking down at the pistol. He removed it from her hands slowly and then pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'm glad you are okay too.." He said before turning around to his son. "What's the plan?"

Lee handed Saul a gun and looked at his father, "We take out the two guards and then go to the first storage room down the hall. That is where Athena, Helo, and Hera are. We will get them out and then go to Baltar's vault."

Saul took the sidearm willingly and nodded to the young man, "What about Caprica? Any idea where she is?" He worried, something was going well in his life for a change and he needed to protect both his son and his son's mother.

"She's in that room as well." Lee said nodding his head as he looked at Saul, "You want to give me a hand here?" He asked as he inched up the wall, getting his weapon ready and looking down the hall at the two guards.

"I was waiting for you to ask, Apollo." Saul brought his weapon up to eye level, quickly dispersing the two guards, "Frakking traitors, every last one of them." He mumbled under his breath, following close behind, remembering the training he endured either through programming or something that actually happened in his life.

Lee walked over and collected the weapons from the guards and opened up the hatch to the brig, pushing their bodies inside before closing the door. "Clear!" He called out. Bill, holding onto Laura, motioned Starbuck to stay behind, knowing they needed to be protected at both ends and then walked down the hall. "You okay?" He asked quietly, looking down at the woman.

"More excitement than I've seen in awhile." Laura said softly, holding onto his arm weakly, "I'm fine. You're more essential to this ship than I am though." She shook her head, "I'm glad Hera is safe."

As they moved down the hallway, Lee stopped once they were about to reach the first storage room. Looking around the corner, he held up two fingers indicating how many guards before walking over to the crew door. Opening it up slowly, he went over to the machine piecing it all together and looked around for a bit. He had done it once before with a cocktail drink, but there must have been another way to get the same effect. Grabbing ahold of the sensor, he ripped it out slowly and watched the thermometer begin to go down. Coming back out quickly, he got into position, "Get ready, those guards are going to be the first ones out." Lee said to Saul as he waited. The automatic release soon took effect and the door began to slowly open inch by inch.

Kara smirked, "Bring it on." She mumbled.

Saul chuckled, readying himself and was quickly able to take out the guards in quick succession. He paused, glancing back for a moment, "Everyone okay so far?" He looked to his best friend and the President. He couldn't help but shake his head at just how horrible the woman was looking lately.

Bill nodded his head, "We are fine."

Lee quickly went over disarming the guards and walking inside of the vault, smiling when he saw familiar faces. Unlocking the fenced in area, he opened up the door and looked at everyone. "We only have a couple of weapons people, not everyone can come, but at least you all will be safe. We will leave people here with you and leave the vault unlocked, we are going to take some with us as we move down the hall. I need all my trained men." Lee said looking around knowing out of the thirty odd some people, there were bound to be experienced people in there.

Kara walked in and looked around at all the people. Stopping in her tracks, tears were brought to her eyes as she spotted Sam and went over hugging him tightly. "Thank Gods..." She whispered.

Sam held her closely, burying his face in her hair, "I'm glad you're okay, Thrace." He mumbled in her ear, his large arms encased her to his chest, and he didn't want to ever let go of her again. "You all busted your asses getting in here."

"Can't have Gaeta in charge for too long." She said laughing a little as she pressed a kiss to his lips and slowly let go of the man, taking his hand and bringing him up to the front of Lee's line. "Take your weapon and cover my ass." She said smirking.

"I have no problem covering your ass." Sam smirked in return, standing next to Lee with a nod, "You guys are pretty impressive. Especially with what you have on your team..."

Lee nodded his head and smirked as he found Helo, walking over he explained the situation and then came back. "Helo will stay with us, and Athena is going to fly you and Baltar out. She's going to come back for more people." He said glancing over to Laura.

Athena emerged from the crowd, cradling her small daughter against her chest as she looked at the woman who had betrayed her trust.

Laura attempted to stand upright, looking at the young Cylon woman. Her eyes slowly drifted to Hera, who she helped raise for the first year of her life. She didn't know whether she should say anything or let the girl's mother speak first. She swallowed, folding her hands together.

Athena walked over to the group and held onto her child as she looked at the ground before glancing back at Laura, "You have to take her with you whenever I drop you off at the baseship." She said with tears in her eyes, knowing she had to give her child up yet again to this woman.. "I expect her back once this is all over or I will come after you." Athena was moved to the door by Helo, who didn't want to start anything at a time like this.

"I protected her before. I will do so again." Laura glanced over to Helo, "With my life." She offered the young girl a soft smile, "Hera, I'm Laura. It's good to see you again." She looked to Lee, "Baltar...you said something about Baltar has a wireless...one that is readily available for the radios..." She shook her head, "We must inform the people of what is happening." She remembered a woman listening to a show of Baltar's while she was getting her treatment.

Lee looked out the door and then turned back to his crew, "Yes, that's correct, Madame President. And if we want to use it, we need to move now." He said as he went out the door followed by Helo and Athena, who was still holding onto her daughter. Bill held onto Laura and helped her move out and Starbuck and Sam followed behind closely with the other men who were coming along. After taking out three more guards along the way they finally reached Baltar's vault. Knocking on the door, he stood back as one of the many women in the room answered, "We need to see Gaius, immediately." The woman rolled her eyes and turned to look at her new found God. "Gaius.." She called out as the man slowly approached the door.

After listening to the request, he held his hands up in protest. "So let me get this straight, you want to use my wireless to call out to the fleet and possibly get my wireless turned off so I will no longer have any communication and then you are just going to leave? I have to protect myself!" Baltar said stuttering as he tried to think this whole situation through.

"Gaius, for once in your life, do something that doesn't just benefit yourself." Laura glared, "They are attacking the people. They are imprisoning them. They are killing them." She had tears in her eyes just thinking about it. "What happens when you no longer have followers left because Zarek and Gaeta have sent troops to kill every last one of them? They will probably be here any minute, Gaius." She glanced around the rest of the room, noticing the small children among the crowd. "You must protect them all. Allow me to do this."

Gaius looked at the President as she spoke and stood still, he didn't know what to say but he knew that he had to protect people. His followers were important to him. Stepping back, he opened up the door fully and led them over to the station set up that connected the wireless. Bill helped Laura down the steps and over, letting her go once she was stable in the chair in front of the device. Gaius turned on the system and handed Laura the headset, "You'll only have a few moments before they shut it down."

Laura swallowed, nodding to him, "People of the fleet. This is President Laura Roslin. We have come to a crossroads in our long and painful journey. Of all the decisions that I have had to make since assuming the presidency, none was more frightening or more difficult than agreeing to this alliance with the Cylons. But we have come to a crossroads in our long and painful journey. Cylons and humans have been at war for generations; we know nothing else. And we have been locked in a struggle that has seen both sides suffer unspeakable loss. But with our supplies running low and our options limited, our former enemies may represent our last, perhaps our only hope. To those in the fleet and in Galactica who would reject this alliance, I am asking you. No, I am begging you to reconsider and place your trust back in those who have brought you this far, and to reject those traitors who would use your fear of the Cylons to destroy Colonial civilization. Representative Tom Zarek and Lieutenant Felix Gaeta are attempting to do this. Do not fall into this trap, but do not fight them. The last thing I would want is civilians to get hurt. You were saved once before from the clutches of someone who believed their powers to be greater than what they were, you will be again. People of the fleet, do not lose hope. This is your President, signing off." She pressed the button of the microphone, glancing around to the room of staring eyes before glancing up to the man these people worshipped, "Thank you, Gaius."

The crew stood back and listened to the woman as she spoke over the intercom, listening and hoping that her message would get across to the people who were going against them. Bill helped Laura up whenever she was finished with the announcement and held onto her arm. Sam looked out the door and then back to Lee, "We need to move. Now."

Gaius' eyes widened as he watched the people begin to leave, "Wait, if you are going to the Rebel Baseship I would like to come. It's only fair seeing that I let you use my wireless." He said stepping in front of the President and Bill. "You can't leave me here, Felix will kill me."

Laura raised an eyebrow before nodding slowly. She didn't believe he deserved the special treatment, but she knew he was telling the truth. He was probably harmless now. Especially on a ship full of Cylons that he once formed an alliance with so long ago, before the rest of the fleet could see that they could be trusted. "This is a very big deal, Gaius." She mumbled, gripping Bill's arm still, "You'll be coming as well." She nodded to the man she loved.

Bill rolled his eyes as the man said that he wanted to come too, if it were up to him he would have left Gaius right where he was- he deserved it after all. "Come on," He spoke quietly to Laura as he helped her out of the room and picked up the pace a bit as he followed behind his son and some of the crew they had formed while the rest followed closely behind. With the people being in the front they could see enemy guards heading their way, taking them out behind Bill even had time to look in that direction. But with every shot fired, he would shield Laura. Once reaching the hanger deck, they quickly shut the door and Athena went to get the raptor ready. Bill walked over to the steps and let the woman beside him go up while holding onto her hand and then pulled her around, kissing her deeply and wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Laura reciprocated the sentiment, placing her hands on either side of his face. She held onto him, looking him in the eye, "Bill, if anything goes wrong...Evacuate...and blow the ship up." She whispers in his ear, "Same on my end, in case the Cylons attempt anything, blow up the basestar." She glanced toward Hera a moment before looking back to him, "I mean it."

Bill listened to the woman and nodded his head slowly after taking in what she had said. "I love you." He said kissing her once more before helping her inside of the raptor. He felt tears well up in his eyes, but blinking helped them suppress. With Athena strapped in the front, Gaius got in and sat across from Laura and Helo came over holding Hera, who was now crying. "Keep her safe, Madame President." He said kissing the little girl's head before sitting her in the woman's lap. The small child held onto a stuffed animal and reached out for her father as he exited the aircraft.

"We'll see you soon," Bill said loudly before giving Laura one last look before shutting the door and stepping back as the raptor exited the deck.


	8. Chapter 8

Laura slowly glanced around the cabin of the small Raptor, her trembling arms wrapped around the small girl. "They'll be fine, Hera." She cleared her throat, "Just stick with me." Laura couldn't bring herself to look at Baltar. The man had caused all of this and here she was, saving his life. She hated this feeling, but knew she couldn't be choosey. She hated being away from Bill as well. Hated knowing that they may never see one another again. The feelings alone nearly killed her. "Everything will be okay." She whispered to the little girl again.

Hera continued to cry as she sat in the woman's lap, gripping her stuffed animal and burying her face into Laura's jacket. Athena made contact with the baseship over the raptors, "We have company..." She said as vipers came flying out of Galactica shooting towards them. "Hang on!" She said as she dropped the aircraft quickly and then jerked left to right until they reached Cylon territory where luckily, the Rebel baseship had defenses waiting to help them out.

Gaius sat there in silence, holding onto his seat as his focus was on the small child across from him. The child was half human, half Cylon. She was so important to not only him, but the existence of both races living in harmony.

Caprica kept a protective hand over her middle, glancing between them. She noticed the man's staring at the girl, knowing the role she was supposed to play when it came to everyone located on the Raptor via the vision of the Opera House, "Stop, Gaius." She mumbled.

Laura gently rubbed the girl's back, looking to the blonde Cylon, "Are you okay?" She swallowed, honestly worried about the woman, given her condition.

"I will be when this is over." Caprica nodded, only able to think about Saul Tigh and how much she loved him. She thought of his arms around her at night, gently rubbing her belly, how they made love, how he had forgiven her past crimes and they found a common ground that eventually led to something more.

"Are we almost there?" The older woman called to the young Cylon pilot in the front cabin.

"Yes." Athena said as they touched down in the hangar deck of the rebel baseship and turned off the raptor before releasing the hatch. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she quickly moved to the back and took Hera from Laura's arms, holding her tightly, causing the crying to cease. "Just hold onto Mr. Bear, and when you miss me, squeeze him. Okay?" She spoke quietly to the girl as she watched the people get off the ship, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Mommy loves you so much. And I have to go, but only for a little bit." She said as she stepped down onto the ground and looked at Laura. There was nothing really to say, so she handed her over to the woman and then got back into her raptor.

Gaius still could not tear his eyes off of Hera, even with Capricia catching him in the act. Staying behind the blonde, his eyes widened and he forced her to stay back. "She's right here, now all we have to find is the Opera House!" He whispered as they followed one of the Sharon clones to the CIC on the ship.

"And where do you suppose that is...while on a Baseship?" Caprica made a face toward him, "Things have changed, Gaius. I love someone else now. He and I are having a child together." Her voice was quiet, but happy. It wasn't as if she didn't love Gaius Baltar anymore, she just felt so burned when it came to him. Saul offered security and she actually loved him as well. Their child was proof of that.

Gaius nodded his head and stepped back, slowly following behind the rest as they walked throughout the halls of the ship that was so familiar to him. He knew things were different, but with all of the women still having the dreams about the opera house, he knew that it had to happen. Crossing his arms across his chest, he watched the child from afar.

Laura held the girl's hand as she slowly walked through the halls of the basestar, "You probably don't remember this, but you stayed with me while we were on this planet called New Caprica." She attempted to make small talk with Hera Agathon. The girl didn't know exactly how much she meant to Laura's existence, she couldn't have. She wouldn't be surprised if her parents told her their side of events leading to how Laura and Maya had acquired the human/cylon baby.

Hera nodded her head up and down to the comment made, but stayed silent as she held onto Laura's hand while her other death gripped the teddy bear. She could tell her parents did not like the woman, but out of the people who were surrounding her, Laura was the person she felt most safe with.

"I went back to teaching while we stayed there. You would be in my class...resting in a bassinette." She smirked, remembering all the time fondly. It was the first time she felt like a mother, probably the only time she ever did, "You laughed a lot...smiled a lot. You were always very intelligent." Laura nodded, noticing how hard she was holding onto the bear, "Your parents have a war that they need to fight in. We're going to make sure they'll be there when we get back."

"Babies aren't smart." She said quietly as she jumped up the steps one by one still holding onto Laura's hand as they reached the the center of the ship.

"Sure they are. You were, Hera, you still are." Laura nodded, "You knew our names, a few numbers, a few letters. You even knew your name...it wasn't Hera then, but you knew it. You started walking when you were eight months old and since you were born before you were supposed to be born, you were developing as if you were right on time."

Hera remained silent as she clung to her teddy bear and held onto Laura's hand as they walked into the room with the other Cylons. There stood clones of the Six, Two, Eight, also a single Three, but there was also one she had not seen before. She was very tall, slender, and had curly blonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She stood with her back turned to the rest as they were welcomed by the others.

Laura tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, taking in each model. She knew this other form in front of her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew it. Attempting to straighten her stance slightly, she cleared her throat, "Excuse me." Her voice wasn't loud, but the crowd could obviously hear it.

Caprica stood on the other side of the President, to the other side of Hera. Feeling the need to protect the girl as well. She knew she'd be little to no use, and she knew she could absolutely trust most of these people, but she was still protective.

Gaius walked in behind the women, his arms folded against his chest as he looked around the room, at all the technology the base held. It still amazed him, even already have been on one, he was still very intrigued by it all.

Once they heard the voice, the Cylons turned around slowly, looking at their new visitors. "Oh, Laura.." Ellen Tigh spoke as she turned around with a big smile plastered onto her face, "It's so lovely to see you again." Her heels clicked against the tile as she stepped down from the data stream and walked over slowly. Ellen's eyes fell upon the small child and she gasped, "Hera..." She kneeled down and reached a hand out cupping the little girl's cheek before standing back up. "I hear Felix and Zarek have caused trouble on Galactica?"

Laura's hands began to shake more as she quickly realized that Ellen Tigh was the final Cylon. She attempted to hold Hera's hand closer, "I wish I could say the same, but yes...they're attempting to take over the ship." Her voice was hollow almost, as if she had to repeat the phrase numerous times by then, "I need...I need your forces to help me take it back."

Caprica shook her head a little when she saw the woman, knowing what she was and who she was to her people, and to Saul. She placed a protective hand over her belly and felt the hot sting of tears begin to form in her eyes. 'Saul would never leave you,' she kept telling herself in her head, "No." She whispered, slowly backing away from the group.

Laura glanced toward the cylon that she had come to know as an ally and shook her head slowly. Ellen Tigh was the final cylon and she knew exactly what that would mean for the pregnant blonde. She shifted her gaze back to Ellen, "Do you think your forces will be able to help us?"

Ellen's eyes were glued to the little girl in front of her, to have Hera there in her presence meant the world to her, but it would only work if the final five were together, as one. Hera noticed the staring and moved behind Laura's leg, holding onto her hand tighter. She knew these people were friendly, but she didn't know them. Her eyes glanced up as she saw the Six model begin to slowly back away and pouted, becoming concerned. "What's wrong my child?" She asked as she held out her hand. "You're Caprica, right?" She asked smiling a little. Hearing Laura's question, she spinned around a nodded her head smiling, "Of course we can help you."

Caprica didn't know if she should say anything, but this woman was of the elite Final Five. She nodded slowly, attempting to keep herself from crying, "It's not important."

"Oh, I'm sure it's very important.." She said softly as she rubbed the woman's arm up and down with her hand before going back up to the data stream.

One of the Two's quickly spoke, "We have contact from Galactica."

"Put them through." She spoke as she gripped the edge of the table and turned around looking at Laura, nodding her head to come join her.

Laura climbs the steps slowly, never letting go of Hera. She takes note of the cylons with their hands in the stream of what appeared to be water. She shook her head slowly, "Galactica, this is President Laura Roslin."

"President?" Tom Zarek laughs cold heartedly, "I think you are mistaken, I am the President of the Twelve Colonies. It's over, Laura. Surrender yourself, or we will begin to attack."

"I am neither dead nor incapacitated. Where is Admiral Adama?"

"Yeah, but you are a disgrace." He said shaking his head, "We found Admiral Adama with Saul Tigh in the south hangar deck, Saul was killed and we took the Admiral into custody. He was tried and found guilty of his crimes." Zarek stopped and looked at Gaeta for a second and then put his mouth back to the speaker. "He was executed a few moments ago and sent out the airlock. This is over Laura, surrender now. Think about the people of the fleet."

Caprica began to shake her head, "No..." The tears streamed down her face even more, "Please, no..."

Laura tilted her head back, closing her eyes a moment and feeling the anger rise inside her more and more. "No. Not now. Not ever. Do you hear me? I will use every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have down to my own eyeteeth to end you. I swear it! I'm coming for all of you!" The newfound adrenalin running through her body forced her to roar into the microphone, "You forget, Mr. Zarek, I know you better than you know yourself." She motioned for them to cease communications and looked down to Hera, "Are you okay?" Laura absently threaded her fingers through the girl's black, curly hair.

"Saul must be okay." Caprica stared at the data stream table to the rest of the other cylons and the President.

"He doesn't fool me. Don't worry." Laura shook her head.

Ellen had tears in her eyes as well until she heard Caprica's comment, popping her head up, she tilted it to the side and arched her eyebrows. Why would this Six be so worried about her husband? This was not the right time to address anything, but she wanted to badly. "We should move into the fleet so they can't fire at us.." She said quietly before glancing at Laura, "Is that alright with you?"

Hera let go of Laura's hand and stayed close for a little while until she decided to go explore. Holding her teddy bear by it's hand and dragging it on the ground, she walked past Gaius who was have a small freakout in the corner of the room and stared at him for a moment before hopping down the steps.

Laura swallowed, feeling the little girl walk away from her, "Yes, that's fine." The woman was trouble before. Ellen Tigh was never anything but trouble and it worried Laura that she had to put so much faith into the woman. "Excuse me." She whispered, following where she saw Hera walk off to.

Caprica slowly gripped onto the wall, "I have to do something...anything...I feel...I feel like I need to help." Her other hand continued to rub her slightly protruding belly, it's what she did instead of projecting now. This calmed her.

Gaius looked over at the blonde and went over to check on her, listening to her comment he arched his eyebrow and shook his head. "You can't do anything to extreme, you're pregnant." He said rubbing her back as he tried to calm her down.

Ellen watched Laura walk out and slowly went down the steps and sat down on the bench across from Caprica. "A baby, huh? Do you know the sex?" She asked smiling a little, her mind already have jumped to conclusions.

Hera continued to walk down the different hallways, it was like a maze to her. Placing her teddy bear down, she sat him up against the wall and then ran into a room where a bunch of Cylon Centurions were gathered. They all looked at the small child and proceeded to walk around as if nothing was bothering them. Walking out on the other side of the room, the little girl looked around at all the different connecting hallways and picked one. She didn't know where she was going, but she wanted to find out where she could go.

"Hera!" Laura called to her, gripping the walls as she continued to stumble after the young girl. If anything were to happen to her, she'd never forgive herself. The dread began to rise in the woman, she didn't know one hallway from the next and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to continue on.

Caprica stared at the woman, swallowing, "A boy." Her voice was just above a whisper. Though Gaius's touch was always a welcoming thing, she could break his hand for bringing the baby to the other woman's attention. "There has to be something we can do to help the Galactica..."

"Are you the father?" Ellen asked tilting her head to the side as she looked at Gaius and kept the smile plastered on her face, knowing that she could not lose her cool. "We are going to send some Centurions over to help."

Gaius widened his eyes and laughed a little, shaking his head back and forth, "No, no I am not the father of that child."

Hera heard the older woman call her name and she stopped, walking around the corner she came right back to where she started. Picking up her teddy bear, she walked over behind the woman quietly. She could sense the woman was sick, and scared. Reaching out, she tugged on Laura's jacket and gave her the teddy bear.

"Please..." Caprica whispered toward Gaius, "Please, don't..." She knew if the other woman knew who the father of her child was, she had the capability of attacking her. Ellen Tigh was always a jealous woman. She remembered that about her.

Laura sunk to her knees, pulling Hera close to her. She encased the young girl in her arms, holding her to her chest, "Don't walk away anymore...okay?" She whispered, stroking her hair. Tears trickled down the corners of her eyes, "Just stay with me?" This wasn't just because the girl walked off, no. This was because all that kept running through her head were visions of Bill being shot by a firing squad in an airlock hanger that wasn't in use. Then the body being swept off into the freezing and motionless void of space. "I can't lose you."

Gaius looked at the blonde, seeing the fear in her eyes and nodded his head. "Okay." He said as he quickly got on topic of Galactica. "So how exactly do you plan on getting them on the ship? And where have you been all this time, Ellen?" He asked tilting his head to the side.

Ellen rolled her eyes and laughed, "We will find a way to get on the ship, Gaius. Don't underestimate us." She spoke as she crossed one leg over the other. "I was on the original baseship until Cavil went off on his own..." She spoke quietly, still feeling sadness for the man.

Hera nodded her head up and down as she wrapped her tiny arms around Laura's neck, listening to what she was saying. Hera didn't like seeing people upset or in pain, it made her feel bad inside. Pulling back a little, she wiped away Laura's tears with her small fingers and looked down at her teddy bear. "Why are you sad?" She asked.

Laura sniffled, smiling for the girl in front of her, "There's a lot of things happening right now. There's a lot of bad people, but also a lot of good people being hurt right now. I don't like that." She spoke simply to the girl, shaking her head slowly, "You're the only person I care about on this ship. If I lost you, I wouldn't have anyone to care about."

"He deserves everything that will come to him." D'Anna sneered, able to hear the conversation from the data stream contraption.

Caprica listened intently, shifting her position on the seat.

Ellen closed her eyes, shaking her head, the last thing she wanted was her children wanting to kill one another. She had created them each, she loved every single one of them. "Cavil is just..." She tried thinking of a word to suit the situation, but failed.

Hera listened quietly, nodding her head up and down. "If the good people are hurt who is going to stop the bad people?" She asked as she reached out and began to play with Laura's hair from her wig. "Mommy says I'm important." She said looking back up at the older woman, "Is that why you care about me?"

"An angry old man." D'Anna called out, finishing the woman's statement.

"We're going to stop the bad people, Hera." Laura smiled softly to the girl, shifting her weight from her knees so that she was sitting on the cold, metal floor, "You're very important. Did you know that you saved my life once?" She nodded, "You saved my life before you were even born."

"He is angry at me." She spoke as she looked over at D'Anna and then down at the ground, "I'm sorry he is taking it out on all of us." Ellen said as she turned her attention back to Gaius. "How is that Cylon test of yours?" She said smirking, knowing she had passed the test when it was just made.

Gaius shrugged his shoulders, "I fixed the glitches." He said as he took a seat next to Caprica.

Hera tilted her head to the side, "Is that why you yelled at them?" She asked not knowing all the words the woman said but she could pick up a lot by someone's body movement, tone of voice, even facial expressions. She relied very much on her senses. "How?" She asked to the question of saving the older woman's life as she dropped the hair, her eyes catching a silver bracelet on Laura's wrist and becoming more interested in that.

"He doesn't lie about it anymore. Doesn't have to." Caprica mumbled, uneasily leaning onto Gaius's shoulder, "So it works just fine."

Laura nodded, then swallowed, "When your mother was still pregnant with you, I was dying of cancer. It was a matter of time before I died. Doctor Baltar," She hated giving him any credit, even where it was due, "Pulled some of your blood while you were still in your mother and injected it into me...my cancer went away...stayed that way for a couple of years..."

Ellen raised her eyebrows as Caprica spoke for Gaius and smiled, "That's very good. I'm sure Bill wore that thing out." She spoke shaking her head back and forth. "So, Caprica." She spoke with enthusiasm in her voice. "If gorgeous Doctor Baltar is not the father, who is? Do you know what you are having?" She asked running fingers through her long blonde hair.

Gaius glanced towards Caprica after the question was asked and quickly intervened, "Caprica fell in love with one of the guards. Charming fellow, actually." He said as he folded his arms across the chest. "Yes, do you know the sex yet?" Trying to help out as much as he could.

Hera looked up at Laura as she continued to play with the bracelet, "But you're sick again?" She asked as she looked down at her arm. "Can't they just take more blood and give it to you?" She asked pulling up her sleeve to show the woman a band-aide that covered her weekly shots she received from Cottle.

Caprica was thankful that Gaius came to her rescue, she smiled softly, nodding. "A boy." She repeated, "His father likes the name Liam...it's been growing on me."

"Yes, I am. Sometimes it's difficult for me to stand for too long, or walk long distances. Sometimes it's hard for me to breathe." Laura nodded, taking her bracelet off and slipping it onto the girl's wrist, "Your blood doesn't work like that and even if it did, I wouldn't do that to you." She pulled the girl closely once more.

Ellen knew that name, she knew it because it was the one her and her husband had been planning to use if they were ever lucky enough to have a son of their own. Keeping the smile on her face, she knew that it was not the time to call anyone out, she had to wait until they got back on Galactica. Standing to her feet, she looked at Gaius, "Would you like a drink?"

"No, no thank you." He spoke shaking his head as he watched the woman walk out of the room and then turned his attention to Caprica. "You alright?"

Hera looked at the woman as she twirled the bracelet, that was much too big for her, around that was now on her wrist. "But I don't want you to be sick." She said as she wrapped her arms around Laura's neck and rested her head on her shoulder. Her eyes closing a little bit and yawning.

Caprica nodded, placing her hand onto her belly once more, "Thank you, Gaius." She whispered, "I'm a little...I think I need to rest." She had no power to ever resist Gaius Baltar, ever since they fell in love in Caprica City, the actual place.

"Trust me, honey, I don't want to be sick either." Laura knew she wasn't going to be able to get up. She knew this wasn't the best place for them to be probably. She slowly glanced to the large metal beings. She knew they now had a mind of their own and were overall peaceful, she couldn't help but think of the long row ready to kill her while on New Caprica.

Ellen was walking down the hallway when she spotted the two in the corner, she laughed a little as she walked over and leaned down. She looked around at the Centurions and smiled, "They won't hurt you." She said as she took Hera out of Laura's arms and offered a hand to help her up. "Would you like a drink? I'm on my way to get one."

Hera opened her eyes as she was yanked from the woman and then looked back at Laura, she kicked her feet a little as she pointed to the ground where the teddy bear had been knocked out of the way by Ellen. The little girl did not know this woman, she didn't like being held by her either.

Gaius nodded his head and looked at Caprica, "I know where there is a bed." He said as he stood up and helped the blond out of her seat.

Laura's body trembled more. She wanted to reach for the woman's hand, but knew it would be useless. "You're still drinking, Ellen? Don't you get tired of the stuff?" She watched Hera, putting a hand up, "You're okay." She said softly to her.

Caprica shook her head, "I'm sure the President needs it much more than I do. Just walk around with me. It's been awhile since I've wanted to," She paused, biting her lip, "Since I've been here." A hand moves to her middle, her face smiling a little, "He moves now."

Hera listened to the woman and continued to kick every now and then, just to let it show that she did not want to be held. She was not a loud child though, her cries were about the only sound she made when she was not laughing or speaking- and even then, that was hardly ever.

Ellen raised an eyebrow, "It's a taste you just can't live without.." She said shrugging her shoulders as she rubbed Hera's back up and down. "Are you hungry?" She asked looking at the child. "Honestly, Laura, you can't sit here. Come on.." She said as she reached her hand back down in front of the woman.

Gaius smiled a little and helped her down the steps, "I bet that feels awfully strange." He spoke as his eyes wandered around the ship as they made their way down a hall.

"Damn it, Ellen, I can't move." Laura finally said, "I'm too weak to move. Leave her here. She doesn't want to go with you and, frankly, I don't want her to go with you either." The woman motioned to Hera, balling her hand into a fist and pressing it against her mouth, coughing into it. She hated this feeling. The feeling of being helpless. "I can't move." Her voice was more quiet that time.

"It does." Caprica nodded, "I...Really, thanks about lying...about Saul. You didn't have to do that, but I'm glad you did." She looped her arm through his, "She would kill me I think."

Ellen clenched her jaw and listened quietly to the woman who was sitting on the floor. She was not going to just leave Laura in the floor, the goodness in her heart wouldn't allow it. "At least let me help you to the bed." She said as she placed Hera down, who went flying over to her teddy bear and picked it up holding it tightly. Wrapping one arm around the woman's waist, she put her arm around her shoulder and stood up slowly, making sure Laura was on both of her feet. "It's just in here.." She said quietly as she pointed across the hall and escorted her over to it. Once Ellen had Laura sitting down on the bed, she smiled a little and picked back up Hera. "I'm going to get her food, and I'll bring her back. I'm not going to hurt her." She said, feeling anger inside of her knowing Laura didn't trust her with the child.

Gaius smirked and nodded his head, "Let's just fight one war at a time, shall we?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around Caprica's and helped her down more stairs. "I think your child's middle name should be Gaius, don't you think?"

"She doesn't want to go with you. Just bring her crackers and juice..." Laura watched the woman, attempting to keep her shaking under control and hide it from the woman as much as possible, which wasn't going very well. "Where is Caprica? Saul would have my head if anything happens to her or the baby."

"I'm sure his father would love that." Caprica shook her head slowly, "He'd kill me and you know he would."

Ellen stood there for a moment taking in what the woman had just said and felt rage come over her. Hearing Baltar's voice coming from the hallway she stormed out knowing he'd be with the blond. "You know, I don't appreciate lying."

Gaius stopped and stood in middle of the two women, knowing he could instantly be injured or killed by either one. "Let's just calm down, we don't want to upset the child."

"This is the child that we were supposed to be trying to find." She said as she held onto Hera, "But now we have to worry about your kid whose father happens to be my husband!" She yelled. "I can't believe you. You're a slut." She said shaking her head as she stormed off to find her drink, holding onto Hera. Ellen wanted to know more about the girl, this extraordinary human/Cylon. Sitting her down on the counter, she poured herself a drink and threw it back before repeating her actions. Looking at the girl, she smiled as she went to the fridge and pulled out some juice and crackers.

"Hera.." She spoke softly as she ran her fingers through the little girls hair. "I'm so glad we found you." Examining her, she tilted her head. "But now that there is Cylon baby, well," she laughed half heartedly as she continued to drink. "We can reproduce on our own." She looked at the child who had tears streaming from her eyes and sighed. Picking her back up with her drink in hand, she moved back to the bedroom and walked over to Laura. "Here," she said as she dropped the little girl on the bed, not too hard but without warning. Throwing back her drink, she walked out to the hallway in search to find Caprica.

Hera crawled quickly up the bed and clung to Laura, burying her face as small tears came out. She could feel the rage from the woman who had just took her, she could feel evil building inside.

"This is not good." Laura whispered, stroking Hera's curly hair, "Did she hurt you?" So many thoughts were going through Laura's head at that moment, "I need to know if she hurt you." She didn't think Ellen Tigh had it in her, but she was so ruthless, that she wouldn't put it past her.

Caprica looked about the ship, suddenly feeling as if she had never been there before. "I should have stayed with Saul." The panic began to rise within her, "She's going to kill my son, Gaius. I can feel it. I know she will stop at nothing until I no longer have any ties to Saul Tigh." She bit her lip, "I will kill her if she hurts my son." She whispered, "I'm not a slut, Gaius. I love Saul. I really do. We are...we're happy together." She didn't know if she was saying more for Gaius to hear, or to make herself believe it.

D'Anna tilted her head to the side, seeing the cylon her race had grown to admire. The feeling had only increased now that she was able to reproduce with another of their kind. She walked over to her, nodding to Gaius. All the times they spent together in the same bed, the days in one another's arms came flooding back through her head. She reached out, touching the blonde's arm, "Caprica, regardless of her status with our people, we would never allow her to hurt you or Liam. You mean a great deal to us, especially the child you are carrying."

Hera shook her head back and forth as tears continued to flow out of her eyes. "Don't let her take me." She spoke quietly as her small body shaked a bit, she didn't like the baseship, she wanted to be back on Galactica with her parents. She could feel evil from the woman, she could tell that she was capable of lots of things. She reached over grabbing her teddy bear and curled against the woman as she held the stuffed animal close.

Gaius listened to D'Anna as she spoke and nodded his head in agreement, "She's right. You mean too much to the Cylon race, she will get over it, just give her time." He said in a questionable tone of voice, looking over at D'Anna, who had spent much more time with Ellen.

Walking over to the data stream, she closed her eyes before looking at the rest of her children, "We need to prepare the Centurions, they will departing for Galactica in a few moments." Ellen said as she sipped her newly poured drink and leaned against the table.

Laura tentatively looked up at a metal centurion as it offered her his long blade-like hand to help her up. Laura swallowed, looking at the hand, slowly using it to stand. "I'd never let her take you anywhere." She couldn't believe just how gentle this large metal being was, especially since this thing and about a dozen other like it attempted to shoot her back on New Caprica. She allowed it to help her to the rest of the people, even if she would be sitting on the floor.

"Ellen, do you think we should just let them board freely? Shouldn't we send some Two, Six, and Eight models with them so the people understand that they're there to help?" D'Anna returned to the data stream, glancing to Caprica periodically as she placed her hand into the water substance.

Ellen nodded her head up and down as she took another drink, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." The blonde sat down on the chair and crossed one leg over the other. She couldn't wrap her mind around Saul fathering Caprica's child. It filled her with rage. Her husband was having a child with their child. She just wanted to put her hands around both of their necks and ring sense into them. She felt betrayed.

Hera held onto Laura as she stood to her feet and covered her face by burying it into the crook of the older woman's neck. Squeezing her teddy bear, she closed her eyes, "She's mad at the Six..." She said quietly as she hugged onto the woman tighter and yawned.

"I know." Laura whispered into the girl's ear. She sat on the side, closely observing the way Ellen Tigh was handling herself. "Ellen has always been...interesting, to say the least." She mumbled, honestly worried about the Six they called Caprica. This young woman whom Saul Tigh had changed himself for. It was love to him. It had always been love to him and she was both surprised, and relieved about it. They actually worked together. Caprica brought out all the good in Saul, where Ellen had only brought out the bad.

D'Anna watched the Final Five being as her hand was in the data stream, "Oh for God sakes, Ellen. Get over it. He believes that you are dead. He obviously loves her or else it would have never worked. That doesn't mean he loves you any less. I know all that you put him through because of this frakking stream." She pulled her hand from it, "Don't you believe he deserves to be happy as well?"

Caprica knew they were fighting about her. She had no idea that Ellen Tigh would be the last of the Five. No one did. Not anyone else, especially not the other four who weren't aware of any of it to begin with. It pained her that she could easily lose Saul to this woman if she were to return to the rest of the fleet. Caprica snaked her hand into Gaius's. It was times like this that his support was a necessity.

Ellen shot a glare at D'Anna and stood to her feet slowly, walking over to the woman in front of her. "This frakking stream?" She repeated as she stepped closer and then slammed the woman against the table. "This frakking stream is everything, it's what helps us survive. Don't you dare speak ill of it." She said letting go of the pinned woman and then fixed her hair. "As for my personal life, stay out of it." She said as she pointed to the clones of Two, Six, and Eight models that would be going with the Centurions to Galactica. "Get down to the hangar and prepare for departure." She spoke as she watched them leave and then returned to her seat.

Hera had fallen fast asleep as she clung to the woman, her small body curled up. Gaius looked down at his hand whenever he felt Caprica place hers inside of his and smiled a little to reassure her things would be alright and have her hand a light squeeze. "Think positive..." He said not only to let the woman have hope, but also him. He knew how crazy Ellen Tigh was.

"That's easier said than done." Caprica mumbled, her other hand gently traveled to her middle, feeling the life inside her like butterfly kisses against the inside of her belly. It brought her solace. It brought her strength. She'd make it through this time with this impossible woman. Though she didn't think of her as an enemy, her programming causing her not to think of the Final Five that way, she couldn't help but feel greatly intimidated by her.

D'Anna wanted to kill the woman right then and there, but her programming didn't allow for that to happen. She had seen the Final Five long before anyone wanted to even speak of them. Her presence was of no surprise to her, but that didn't cause her to treat her with utmost respect. She had none for this woman. Never did.

Laura glanced up from her position, watching the scene unfold. "Don't worry." She tells the pregnant cylon. It was simple, but she knew it may mean more than she was willing to admit. Laura's frail, thin frame looked almost painful, nearly swimming in her suit. She absently stroked Hera's hair, thoughts of Maya in the back of her mind and how her life with this little girl have come full circle almost.

"Contact from Galactica." One of the Two's called from the data stream.

Ellen nodded her head, "Put them through." She rose from her feet and walked over quietly.

"Last chance, Laura." Zarek's voice blared through the intercom. When there was no response, he turned to Felix and nodded his head up and down. The first shots were fired, hitting the baseship and causing it to shake.

Gaius looked towards the President feeling terrified inside, he had no clue what to do. Holding onto Caprica, he grasped the wall and waited for it to cease movement before letting go of the woman. He was useless to everyone on the base ship, his knowledge didn't come in handy. He was also terrified of dying.

Hera's eyes opened when she heard the loud noise and looked around the room. She began to cry a little as she covered her ears. But, Hera still felt safe. She remembered Laura in the back of her head. She remembered her smell of perfume she wore, she also remembered the other lady with the long hair but she was no longer there.

Ellen thought for a moment before turning towards the crew at the data stream, "Get the canons ready."

"I will not back down and I will never surrender. Your tyrannical siege must be stopped and I will not hesitate to be the one to stop it, even if it causes my own demise, my people will be saved." Laura called out, nodding to Ellen, "Has the team breached the hull of the Galactica yet?" Her face was stone cold. She could do this all day if she must. She noticed Hera's reaction to the noise and stroked her hair a little more, "Everything is fine, I promise."

Caprica noticed how difficult it all was on the small girl. She leaned down, smiling to her, "Hera, would you like to take a walk? It's a little too loud in here for me." Her voice was quiet, but loud enough for the girl to hear.

Laura gave the young woman a look, unsure if she could be trusted based on the visions.

Ellen shook her head back and forth answering the woman, "They are loading right now."

"Canons are hot." The Two shouted out once she had received the information.

Hera looked at the Six model, the little girl had had visions of the woman in her mind. She was very interesting to Hera. She was not sure about leaving Laura, knowing the woman wanted her to stay with her, but the noise was loud on her ears, and with the firing still happening it was causing her to cry harder. She gave her teddy bear to Laura, wanting her to keep it safe like the woman had been doing for the little girl and reached her arms out for the woman. Once she held Caprica's hand, she hid her face and continued to cover her ears, her eyes shut tightly.

Laura smirked when the gentle centurion helped her stand again. It was as if it wanted to offer her support. She nodded when it aided her to the middle console, the data stream, to stand with the rest of the people. Once she reached it, the metal being stood possibly six feet from her, just in case she should fall or want to go back. "Frak." She whispered to herself, "I wish we had other contact from inside the ship."

D'Anna glanced over to her, "Madam President, we must strike now or risk Zarek and Gaeta jumping the ship and a few of the surrounding. Ten other ships have shut down their FTL drives in support of your mission...of your cause."

Hera held onto Caprica's hand as she went down the steps one by one, putting both feet on a step before going down more. As they got further away from the loud room her crying began to cease and she wiped her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Caprica offered the girl a smile. She was glad to be out of the same room as Ellen Tigh. "I don't want to upset you." She held her hand, gently rubbing the back side of it with her thumb absently. She was pleased to be alone with the girl. She loved this girl as if she were her own and she couldn't explain or shake the feeling. "Just tell me if you aren't happy."

Hera nodded her head up and down, "Loud noises hurt my ears." She said as she swung their hands back and forth just looking at the woman beside of her. She was fascinated with her, she had drawn her many times when she was coloring.

"They hurt mine too." Caprica smiled to the small girl. "I wish you were able to project, Hera. This would all be so much easier for you." She continued to walk the halls that all looked alike, "Has your mother ever talked to you about any of that? Has she ever...spoken to you of your cylon heritage?" She knew the answer. She was sure Athena wanted her daughter to know nothing about being a cylon. She wanted her to be as human as possible.

The little girl shook her head, "Mommy says most Cylons are bad." She said as she began stepping on different tiles, missing the cracks, occupying herself. "What's project?" She asked looking up at the blond. Caprica was right, Athena had kept her daughter as human as possible, the topic was rarely ever spoken about between her and Helo in front of their daughter.

"Humans like to call it imagination. Instead of seeing this place like the way it is, I like to project that I'm in a forest. I'm not...I'm not able to project as well as I was able to, but it's better than all of this." Caprica slowly sunk to a nearby seat, watching the girl, "And your mother is right, most are bad. The ones here are not though. They would never hurt you. You're too important for that."

Hera jumped around on the tiles, getting a pattern going and repeating it over and over. "How do you do it?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and walked over slowly placing her hand on the woman's stomach.

Caprica slowly looked down to the girl's hand. She was the first besides Saul or medical personnel to touch her midsection while Liam was growing. Her voice was soft, "You just...you let your mind relax and...you relax and think of being elsewhere. Let your mind go to a higher plateau. Think of this being whatever place you want it to be and your consciousness will do the rest."

Feeling a kick, she looked up at the blonde, "Is your tummy mad?" Hera moved her hand away and thought for a moment. She stayed quiet and thought about the ocean, she had seen it many times in the books her mother read to her. "It doesn't work. I broke it." She said thinking harder.

Caprica smiled softly, "Because you've never seen it in person. You will someday soon. I promise." She tilted her head to the side, "He's moving. When he moves it's a good thing. Not anger. I can hear his thoughts and his fears. Your mother could too." She remembered all of the stories and the feelings through the stream when Athena killed herself to recover her daughter. She remembered the Eights being able to tell every detail.

"What's his name?" She asked feeling her stomach again and let out a sigh, "So I can project when things are loud?" She asked as she walked down the hall a little more.

"You can project any time you wish." Caprica gently placed her hand over the girl's, "His father likes the name Liam. It's beginning to grow on me as well." Saul couldn't be happier about the baby. All the times he and Ellen had tried and have never succeeded, it meant a new beginning for him to be a better man. It meant for him to want to be a better man. It meant the same to her.

Hera nodded her head and sighed, "Liam can be my friend." She said as she jumped down the tiles and then stopped when a Centurion walked out and began to follow it. Walking beside it and acting like it. She found the machines fascinating. Another fire was hit into the baseship and she held onto the metal leg would stopped for her and then closed her eyes. The further down the hallway they went, the further away the sound was.

Caprica followed as well. She knew how peaceful the metal giants could be, she remembered them planting trees and working together while on the colony she was named after, after the attacks. She grinned, "You'll be more than a friend." She nodded, "There are many expectations for the both of you. Different expectations, but you're both very important in your own ways."

"What expectations?" She asked as the Centurion put its long arm down, letting the girl touch and hold onto it. Hera held onto the metal as they walked in a circle around the halls of the baseship. Reaching the kitchen area where Ellen had taken her earlier, she walked over to the counter and grabbed the juice box that she was supposed to receive but was forgot about when the blond was getting her scotch.

She looked the girl over, shaking her head slowly, "You'll know soon enough." Caprica's voice was soft. She didn't want to frighten the girl. She'd never want to do that. The little girl felt as if she were her own and even Caprica couldn't explain it.

Sipping the juice box until it was empty, she placed it in what appeared to be the trash can and looked at the blonde. "I drew a picture of you before." She said thinking back to arts and crafts time aboard Galactica. Hopping around on more tiles, they made their way back around to where they started. Her eyes glued upon Laura and saw her holding the teddy bear. Running over, she clung to the woman's leg and reached up for her teddy bear.

Laura glanced down, not expecting the girl. She smiled to her briefly before nodding to Ellen Tigh, "Fire a couple warning shots. I want to see if it does anything." She reached down, placing a hand on Hera's black, curly hair. "I want to give them a chance. I know Bill and Saul...even Lee and Kara will take care of it. I don't believe they're gone."

Gaius looked at Caprica walked into the room and pulled her lightly into the corner of the room, keeping as much distance between her and Ellen Tigh as possible. The last thing anyone needed was people getting hurt on the rebel ship when they were trying to save other people's lives. "How is the girl?" He asked looking at Hera at a distance, still not being able to get his knowledge of the opera house out of his mind.

Ellen took in a deep breath and nodded her head over to the Two's and Eight's as they prepared to fire. Once they had been shot, she looked at the map waiting to see what happened.

Hera clung to her teddy bear and hopped down the steps to the Centurion who had been helping Laura and began to follow him around as he walked slowly around the room.

"She knows of the Opera house." Caprica whispered, watching her interact with the centurion. Her gaze slowly moves to him, "And she knows nothing about cylons...which is probably a good thing at the moment."

Laura leaned onto the console more, watching the others as well, "Status?"


	9. Chapter 9

"They are heading towards us, Madame President. We have to fire, now." The Two said frantically as the alarms began sounding off.

There was a silence that fell over the room in the middle of this decision, the alarm was blaring in the background but you could clearly tell that everyone was terrified about what was going to happen. They were going to have to destroy Galactica, and that was the last thing that these Rebel Cylons, or the humans along the ship for that matter, wanted to do.

"Madame President!" Bill Adama's voice came through the intercom, "This is the Admiral. Stand down! I repeat, Galactica secure, stand down."

Laura began to shake as a smile crept across her face, "Repeat." She called out bringing her hands to her mouth with a grin of excitement. She knew it. She knew he couldn't have been dead. He's too tough for that, "Repeat, Admiral."

Caprica picked her head up, "And Saul?" She couldn't help herself. She had to know, not caring about his wife there.

He was about to hang up the receiver whenever he heard the comment, "Colonel Tigh is perfectly fine. He is taking care of Zarek and Felix at the moment." He said before hanging up the phone and walked down to the brig, making sure the two were locked up as they awaited execution.

Ellen let out a sigh of relief as she ran her fingers through hair and gave one last glare towards the blond quickly before looking back at Roslin. "We will be more than happy to let you use one of our raptors." She said with a fake plastered smile. "But we would like to come on board, or I would, I need to speak to the final five."

Laura looked to the woman. She never trusted her, but she was in no position to turn her down. "Fine, but you will not be left alone with Saul Tigh." It wasn't for Caprica, it was for his betterment, "And if I find out you were permitted alone with him, I will airlock you in a second." Her face was cold.

Caprica couldn't help but smile softly. Others saw the change in the man for the better as well and it was all because of her and their son growing with her. She glanced to Baltar, "You're safe now, Gaius."

Gaius nodded his head up and down as he took in a deep breath and sighed with relief. "For now." He mumbled under his breath.

Hera continued to follow around the centurion as it moved throughout the room. When it passed Ellen, Hera went to the other side of the machine to stay away from the woman, still not liking the vibe she was getting from her, not to mention her drink smelled horrible. Sitting down on the step, she began to brush out her teddy bear's hair as she yawned a little.

"Hera, are you ready to return to GALACTICA?" Laura grinned, feeling some of her strength return. She offered the girl her hand, "Ready to get back to your parents?"

Hera nodded her head up and down and took Laura's hand, standing to her feet as she squeezed her teddy bear. The centurion that had been helping Laura led them to the Raptor which was on the other side of the ship. Looking down at her wrist, she took off the much too big bracelet that had been placed on her and held it up, "Here." She said quietly as began to make up another tile game.

Gaius followed behind them and sighed, looking around the ship, shaking his head.

Laura shook her head slowly, "You can have it, Hera. It's for you. It's something that I want you to remem-" She stopped herself, "It's just something that I want you to have, okay? It's...it's always meant a lot to me. I've had it for years. So now, I want you to have it. Keep it safe for me."

Caprica followed them to the raptor, keeping an eye on every place Ellen Tigh walked to. She couldn't help it. She had to be ready to defend herself.

Ellen stood in the front, licking the dried scotch off her lips. She knew she had to play nice for a while until she could slap the frak out of Saul. Getting inside of the raptor, she folded one leg over the other and smoothed out her dress.

After getting on, Hera sat in Laura's lap, looking down at the silver bracelet and twirled it around in her fingers. For a small child, she was very giving, loving, and intelligent. Looking at the teddy bear, she sighed and leaned back against the woman's chest. "Teddy wants to stay with you until you get better."

Gaius helped Caprica on and let her take the last seat, standing in between Ellen and the other blond to block the vision and held onto the side as one the eights started up the raptor. "You should go check up with Doc Cottle, just in case." He said shrugging his shoulders and looked down at her stomach.

"That's very sweet, Hera." Laura smiled to her, "Thing is, though, I think he wants to stay with you." She knew she didn't have much longer and the last thing she wanted was this girl to give her teddy bear to her. "I'll be fine."

Caprica smiled to him, "I'm fine. He's calm." She nodded, then glanced to Ellen. She felt like she needed to say something, anything. "I know you hate me..." She starts, unsure of what exactly she should say.

Ellen looked at her polished nails and shook her head, "I don't hate, dear." She said as she glanced up towards the blond. "I'm disappointed."

Hera listened to Laura speak before nodding her head and snuggling against her as she played with the bears ears, her eyes every now and then glancing out the small window on the side of the raptor.

Gaius looked at the President, "So what is going to happen to Felix and Zarek?"

Laura slowly looked to the man, "They'll pay." Something she always wanted to make him do because of his role in it all, "They will pay."

"If it means anything, if he knew you were alive, he'd have never...He and I would have never...I'm not that type of woman." Caprica shook her head slowly, "But...he's having a son now and...we're happy. I don't...I don't want him to lose that. I've never seen him smile as widely as I have lately."

Ellen rolled her eyes and shook her head as she continued to smooth out her dress and adjust her hair. Pulling out a compact mirror, she looked at her makeup, ignoring the blond.

Gaius nodded his head and looked down at the floor, he knew the woman hated him, everyone almost out of the entire fleet did and he didn't blame them. His actions were stupid and careless, but he had no choice.

Feeling the plane land, Hera jumped out of Laura's lap with the teddy bear and jumped off once seeing Athena and Helo standing in the hangar, crying. Athena picked up her daughter and held her close, hugging her tightly and turned to Helo.

Gaius helped off Caprica and then headed back to his vault, quickly and quietly with his head down not wanting to look at the glares he received.

Ellen got off after a few soldiers helped Laura down and smiled at the looks she was receiving. Seeing Tory up on the deck, she smiled as she walked over towards her and introduced herself.

Laura walked toward the CIC, knowing that's where Bill would be. She slowly climbed down the latter to the deck below, placing a shaking hand over her mouth when she saw him, "Bill." She whispered.

Caprica tried to keep on Ellen Tigh's six. Watching when she didn't go to Saul first, she attempted to rush to the man.

Tory couldn't believe it. The joke that was Saul Tigh's wife, the woman who caused their Resistance movement on New Caprica so much grief, was the fifth final cylon. Each cylon model was now accounted for. "Mrs. Tigh." Her voice was low, quiet, in shock really.

"Hello, darling." She said cupping her cheek and taking a look at her. "I'm so glad to finally see you." She said smiling as her eyes found Saul in the background.

Saul placed his lips against Caprica's the moment he saw she was safe. He placed a tender hand on her middle and smiled to her before glancing over and meeting the eyes of his wife. The wife he thought he killed on New Caprica via a mug of tea. "Ellen?" He said quietly, standing up straight. He continues to hold Caprica's hand, unsure if he should let it go.

Ellen heard her name being called out of the man's mouth and took in a sharp breath before giving him a disgusted look and took Tory's hand, leaving her out of the room. "So where are the rest, besides Saul?" She asked looking around.

Bill smiled whenever he watched Laura climb down the ladder and felt his eyes tear up a bit, nodding his head he moved slowly towards the woman, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. Pulling back, he pressed a kiss to her temple and lips and hugged her again. "You okay?"

Tory led the woman to the Sickbay. She motioned to a bed where Tyrol and Kara Thrace were standing above an unconscious Samuel Anders. "It doesn't look very good for him." She shook her head.

Laura nodded to him, tears flooding her eyes as she kept her arms around him, "I thought they would have killed you in your cells...I didn't know they were capable of any of this." She shook her head, needing to be close to him. "I was followed about by a centurian around the basestar whose only job was to make sure I didn't fall, I learned Hera Agathon remembers bits and pieces of New Caprica and the Opera House, and I accidently gave Caprica and the baby up to Ellen Tigh."

Bill hated seeing her cry, listening he rubbed her back and nodded his head. "It's okay, everyone is safe, that is the most important thing." Wrapping his arm around her center, he held onto her and looked down, "Felix and Zarek were executed thirty minutes ago." He said quietly, escorting her to their bunk.

Ellen gasped as she looked at Sam in the hospital bed, "What happened?" She asked walking over to the side of the bed, smiling whenever she saw Tyrol and then nodded her head to Kara.

Kara stood straighter, seeing the woman and shaking her head, almost bitterly. Of course this woman was the final. Not anyone more deserving of returning, but Ellen Tigh. "He was shot. What the frak does it look like?"

Tyrol looked to the woman and gave her a nod of understanding.

Saul rushed to the sickbay after getting Caprica settled to rest in their bunk. He looked to his wife he thought he lost, "Kid fought hard, Ellen." His gravelly voice rose slightly as he watched the woman. One part of him wanted to take her into his arms, but the other part was strictly loyal to Caprica and their family now. He was torn.

Laura took in the bodies as she walked down the corridor, "Not everyone was safe. I need a count of how many we lost." Her voice was quiet, "I gave Hera my bracelet." It was a huge thing for her. Her mother had given it to her after the death of her father and sisters and it helped her muster up strength at the most difficult of times.

Ellen gave Kara a look and then sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize." She said tucking her hair behind her ears and then closed her eyes when hearing Saul's voice. Her eyes burned with tears, putting on her fake smile, she looked at Tyrol and Tory, "I'll catch up with you all later, you'll have to excuse me." She knew Saul moved on, she knew that he thought she was dead, but it was still a betrayal to her. The fact that he was using their childs name for that baby, it broke her heart. She could never have children and that frustrated the both of them, but he had found someone who could. Turning on her heel, she shook her head, looking into her husband's eyes for the first time and bit her lower lip. Walking away quickly, she kept her head down.

Bill shook his head, "Later, Laura.." He kept her moving to the room, "We have not been able to clear everywhere yet, just wait and we will get any official count." He said as he listened to her say she gave Hera Agathon her silver bracelet, "Why?"

"I'm not exactly going to need it where I'm going soon." Laura shook her head, watching the man, "I wanted her to have something to remember me by, Bill. That's all." She sighed, watching him pace, "Come sit." Laura slowly removed the wig before her trembling fingers began unbuttoning her black jacket.

Bill just got Laura back, he didn't want to think about losing her again. Hearing her command, he nodded his head and slowly walked over, sitting down beside her. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes as he placed them on the nightstand. "That was sweet of you.." He said quietly as he turned his attention to Laura and gave her a small smile.

"I figure you can have my glasses." She grinned, now attempting the much smaller buttons of the blouse, "And whatever else you want, of course. My scarves, maybe." She shrugged. Laura leaned over to him, placing a kiss against his jawbone.

"Oh really?" He asked arching his eyebrows and smirked, watching her hands. "You know how fond I am of the purple one," Bill laughed and pulled her slowly closer to him and kissed her lips, then made his way to her cheek and then stopping at her neck. "Well good thing you are not going for a while, so I might go first. I guess you can have my ties." He said resting his head on hers, "Or my glasses, seeing you're more blind than me."

"You brought ties? When were you going to use them?" She motioned to his duty blues and dress grays, "I'd take whatever you give me, but I'm sure Lee would put them to much better use. Besides, you aren't allowed to go first. All this cancer would have been for nothing." Laura teased him, her arms holding onto him.

"I don't know, I figured they may come in handy one day. Plus they were expensive, I need to at least get my money's worth out of it." He said smiling as he pressed kisses against her neck and rubbed her back up and down with his fingertips. "I'm allowed to go whenever, Madame President. Plus, the cancer wouldn't have been for nothing, I can now see your face without all that hair in the way." He said looking into her sea-green hues, "You have a gorgeous face."

"That's the only thing I miss...the hair, but I appreciate the compliment." Laura smiled, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek, "Speaking of hair...you've gone very gray as of late, Admiral."

He arched his eyebrows, "I've been stressed, and I'm old. What do you expect?" He asked moving his head to kiss the inside of her palm and continued to rub her back, moving to her sides and arms.

"You've been shot. Don't...Don't do that, Bill. If I'm not here, I want to know someone is for the human race." Laura's voice was soft, worried.

Bill nodded his head up and down and sighed, "Okay.." He said quietly as he continued to touch her smooth skin. "Let's just forget about everything right now, okay? We both have had a long day."

"That we have." She placed her lips against his own, speaking against them, "Too long."

Kissing her lips, he pulled back and just looked at her. Bill carefully took off his Admiral pins and placed them carefully on the counter. Looking at them, he glanced back to Laura, "Remember when you gave me these?" Pulling the woman into his lap, he kissed her lips quickly.

"I realize I made the right decision today." Laura grinned, stroking his hair, "You still have me for a little while longer, Bill. I just want to get things in order. I want people to have what I want them to have. I want people to remember me because of something." She kissed him in return, "And frakking you over every space of this cabin isn't it...I won't stop you, but this isn't it."

Bill shook his head as he rubbed her back, "We are going to find Earth, we are so close and you have everything in order already. You have already given the people what they have needed the most though, and that is strength. Something to believe in and fight for." He said as he took her hand into his. "They are going to remember you for the smart, strong, pain in the ass President you were, and still are, and will be." He spoke smirking.

"Yes, but Bill, the scrolls say that when we find Earth, I won't get to see it." Laura shook her head, smiling to him, "Once you come to terms with that, I think this will be a lot easier to talk about. It's inevitable. There's nothing you, nor I, can do about it. Do me a favor though, would you? When you get there, and you land, and all the people walk off their ships and breath fresh air for the first time...find a spot for our cabin. Will you do that for me?"

Bill shook his head slowly listening to the woman speak, and held her close, just wanting her as close as possible to him. No distance, no space. "I have come to terms with it, Laura. I have, and I honestly don't want to think about you not being here, alright? It's very selfish of me, and I understand that completely. But it helps me to think positively, in hopes that you will grace earth with your wonderful presence." Hearing her request, he nodded his head and smiled a little feeling tears sting his eyes but refused to let them fall. "I'll pick the best spot out there.." He said pressing a kiss against her lips as he slipped off the ring from his and pulled back. "Only if you will wear this ring."

Laura felt the usual burn in her eyes, "I'll wear it, but...take it off before you...before you send me off?" She slowly glanced to him, a single tear falling down her cheek. She places her hand to his face, just holding him close, "Can you do that for me, Bill?" Her voice broke with emotion as she spoke.

Bill listened and nodded his head up and down, he hated seeing her cry, and he knew he was on the verge of tears as well. He had to hold it together for the both of them, taking her hand, he slipped the ring on her finger and wiped away the tear from her cheek as he hugged the woman close to him.

"I love you so much." She whispered, just holding onto him anyway she could. The strength in her arms was beginning to leave her finally and she began to tremble. Laura turns her head to rest in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

"I love you too, Laura. Always." He spoke softly into her ear, as he kissed the side of her head and held the woman close, rubbing her back and holding onto her shaky body. "Just relax.." He said quietly, as he closed his eyes and felt a few tears escape his eyes.

"We can't keep falling asleep like this." Laura swallowed, letting her arms relax around him.

Bill nodded his head up and down as he stood to his feet and held Laura in his arms, moving to the head of the bed, he laid her down gently and slowly before laying down beside her and pulling the covers over her. Picking up the hand he had put the ring on, he kissed the top of it a couple of times and just stared at the woman. Remembering every detail about her.

"I'm not dying yet. Relax, Bill." Laura mumbled, holding onto him again. She was exhausted and being in his arms was the only way she would be able to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Her last moments were quiet and peaceful, the room was quiet and everything was still. It was just him and her in their room, the lights dimmed low so it would not hurt her eyes. As she laid on the bed, he held her hand in his, making small talk with her, reassuring her that everything would be okay and that he would see her soon. Watching her take her last breath of life was probably the hardest thing he had to do in his lifetime, not only had he lost a son, but now lost the woman he had fallen madly in love with. And there was no getting them back, they were in the Gods hands now, both the deceased and living. Before letting Doctor Cottle take her away, he pressed a kiss to her lips, and slowly slid the ring off her finger and placed it back on his.

The funeral was the hardest thing for him to do, for him to stand in front of all the people of the fleet, who were depending on him to take them to Earth, and be completely broken was not easy. He watched the coffin be placed into Airlock with a flowers and the colony flag draped nicely across and the doors close. He smiled a little and stepped back as he watched through the window as the casket flew out into space and closed his eyes. That was it. President Laura Roslin was gone. He stood at the window, staring at the ground as he waited for everyone to exit.

Saul watched as everyone shuffled out. Tears did not begin to explain the level of anguish shown from the fleet. He stood in the back of the room, closing the door behind them. He looked to his friend, slowly walking closer to him, "Bill?" He swallowed, his own level of grief at it's peak, "We should uh...I should get you back to your room." He hated the woman at first, having thrown her in the brig and nearly shooting down her raptor when she made an escape those few years before, but he had come to understand her while on New Caprica, came to trust and respect her even, "Come on."

Bill looked at the window once more before nodding his head and turning around, letting out a sigh. It was obvious the man had been crying, tears were still forming in his eyes. "Let's get a drink..." He spoke as he walked out of the room slowly, making his way down to the room that him and Laura had shared for a few years. The room where they escaped when things were stressful, where they were able to be themselves and not have to worry about the positions they upheld. He had been up twenty four hours, not even wanting to go near the bed that they had shared.

"You going to be alright here?" Saul looked around, it still had her touches in it. Little things that others may not notice, but he did. He picked up her violet scarf resting next to the bed and smiled sadly, "She was a beautiful woman, Bill. It was a great service. It's what she would have wanted, you know."

Nodding his head, he glanced at the scarf that the man was holding up as he grabbed the bottle of scotch he had not touched since his meltdown last time and brought glasses over to the table. "I got that for her.." He mumbled as he poured himself a drink and sighed. "She wanted a lot of things. Big pain in the ass, that woman was." He said laughing as he thought of all the times Laura wanted things that seemed inevitable to even achieve, but in the end always got her way. Sitting down, he sipped the liquid slowly and a little at a time.

"Yeah." Saul swirled the liquid in the glass a couple times before nodding, "Yeah she was." He slowly sits, "I know this isn't...this isn't the best of times to tell you, but I thought you should hear it from me and not by rumor...Caprica lost the baby this morning." He had tears in his eyes, but he was able to keep them at bay for the most part. He takes a sip of the amber colored fluid and smirked, "It's been months...this tastes damn good."

Bill shook his head and stared at the man, "Saul, I am so sorry.." He said feeling absolutely terrible for his oldest pal, knowing how badly he had wanted to have a child. First Ellen not being able to physically, he could only relate with the death of his own son. "You would have been an amazing father." He said as he took off his glasses and placed them on the table. "If there is anything I can do, please let me know. You are my best friend, I'm always here for you." He nodded his head up and down to the drink comment he made.

Saul shook his head slowly, finally letting a tear fall, "We were going to name him Liam...I wanted him to...to have a strong name." He smiled a little, "It was never meant to be, I guess." He adjusted himself in the seat and swallowed, "She uh...she went to Gaius Baltar already, so..." Saul didn't know if he should have followed her or fought for her or just let her go. He did know, however, this is where he belonged right now. "Roslin was a hardass. I was shocked as hell when the two of you shacked up." Change the subject, always a good tactic.

Bill listened as tears continued to roll out of his own eyes and nodded his head, "Liam is a perfect name." He said nodding his head up and down. "She loves you Saul, there is no doubt about that. Gaius is her friend though, and right now I just think she needs someone to talk to, like you with me vice versa." He spoke as he finished his drink and poured more into the cup. Hearing about Laura, he smirked and sighed, "Yeah, you and the entire fleet." He said smirking. "She acted like a hardass." He said in a teasing tone, knowing the woman was a true hardass fighter with every bone in her body.

"I don't think so. I don't even know if I want her to come back." Saul shook his head slowly, watching his friend and letting his own tear fall before quickly wiping it, "You know what this means though. If all that bullshit she talked about with the scrolls and Pythia is right, we aren't far from Earth. We...the fleet needs a day, after today, we'll...we'll get back to it, alright? That's all Roslin wanted was to see us get to Earth. A real Earth not a Kara Thrace bullshit Earth." He swallowed, taking another sip of the amber liquid.

Bill listened and nodded his head slowly, leaning over he refilled Saul's glass of scotch and then sat back in his chair. "I know what she wanted." He spoke quietly, "We will get to Earth with the help of everything we have, Scrolls, and Kara." He said looking at the man. "I believe in her just like I believe in you. We need to work together as a team. I know it sounds crazy, but what the frak has been normal lately." He spoke as he took another drink. "We will get there soon."

"The uh...the other Cylons were there. Did you see em? Lee made a great speech. Who knew your boy had it in him." Saul shook his head, smiling slightly, "Tory was...just sobbing. I didn't think she would. I heard her badmouth Laura left and right when we would meet. She always took Baltar's side after she found out, but...I guess it finally got to her."

"I saw them," He said nodding his head up and down, "I thanked all of them for coming." He said as he swirled the scotch around in his glass. He smirked when he heard Saul mention his son and shrugged his shoulders, "He is very talented." He said knowing Lee was going to be taking on the presidency. Hearing about Tory, he sighed and took a drink. He never communicated with the woman really, but he did know how upset Laura was after finding out she was sleeping with Baltar. "Laura meant a lot to many people."

"I think now more than ever. Ten ships were ready to stick with her during the mutiny, Bill. Ten. Just because she asked them to. That's...crazy as hell." Saul shook his head, "It was because of her that you all went to Kobol. Because of her, we were able to get out of New Caprica. Sam, Tyrol, and myself would all like to take credit for it, but she was the ringleader. We would have blown one another's heads off if it weren't for her. She kept Hera Agathon safe too. Both there and during the mutiny." Saul chuckled, almost bitterly, but in his mind it wasn't, "I've never met a woman like her and I doubt I ever will again." He leaned forward, "Did you know she slapped me down on New Caprica? Without hesitation...I didn't think she had an angry bone in her body."

Bill listened as the man in front of him praised the woman he loved with all of his heart and smiled, nodding his head up and down. Drinking a little of his scotch, he looked up at the man and shook his head as he began to laugh hard. "No, I didn't." He said as he rubbed his eyes, "Without hesitation, huh?" He said as he continued to laugh just trying to picture the scenario in his head. He had seen Laura get angry but never resolve to physical abuse.

"I don't even remember what I said now, but yeah." He grinned, finishing his glass, "Do you want something to eat? Did you want to sleep or something." Saul shrugged, "I don't know how to deal with this. I've gotten so used to...used to death." His mind quickly returned to Caprica and their lost son before he shook it and looked back to his friend.

Bill let out a sighed and finished off the rest of his drink, "No, I think I might just need to get some rest." He spoke nodding his head up and down, knowing he needed to get some sleep or his schedule would be entirely off for a long period of time. "It's a numb feeling.." He spoke as he placed the cup down on the table and folded his glasses.

Saul nodded, then reached out and took his friend into a hug. He had never done it before, but it seemed as if he needed to right now, "I'm sorry, Bill. I really am. I thought she'd pull through again." He replied hoarsely into the other man's ear. He was always devoted to Bill Adama and probably always would be.

Bill hugged the man tightly, patting his back and nodded his head. "Thank you, Saul. I am sorry about the baby too. I meant what I said, you would have been a great father." He said blinking back some tears before pulling away and looking at him. "I'm here if you need me, but let's ease off the booze again." He said knowing that Laura would not want him drinking again, nor did he want Saul getting back on the habit as well.

"Yeah, alright." He nodded, walking to the door. Saul looked at his hand, the violet silk scarf he had forgotten to put down. He gently places it on a nearby table before glancing to his friend once more and walking through the hatch after he opens it. Saul quickly realized that he was just as broken and upset as his friend was. They each had different situations, but he would figure this all out. He would get them to Earth for Bill. He walked to CIC and looked around at the empty chairs, but gazed to the DRADIS for anything to help him find what he was searching for.

After the door closed behind the man, Bill put the bottle of scotch away and walked slowly over to the table, picking up the scarf. Looking down at the material he had given Laura, he closed his eyes, images of her wearing it flooded into his mind, it was the woman's favorite color. Hell, it even smelled like her and the perfume she always wore. Moving back throughout the room, he sat on his side of the bed and unbuttoned his jacket, taking it off he placed it on the chair beside the bed and then laid down, looking at her pillow and sighed. "Oh, Laura.." He whispered before turning around to face the wall and closed his eyes.

Kara Trace took a break from sitting with her husband in sickbay. She climbed up to the viper she had returned from the dead in and began to play with the knobs of her DRADIS. The service was too hard for her, but Laura Roslin had been there for her many times and Kara knew she had to be there for her. She tilted her head to the side and watched the small screen as it blipped, narrowing her eyes, "The frak?" She mumbled, doing it again. Slowly, Kara began to widen her eyes, "Oh my gods." She leaves it on as she quickly climbed from the bird, jogging to the Admiral's quarters, but noticing someone in the CIC first. She paused, knowing Adama was going through enough for the dar. She opened the door, looking to her bald superior officer, "Colonel Tigh...I think I have something."

Tigh was quick to follow the young woman, anything to make his friend believe that the President's death wasn't all for nothing. He stood with the young woman, chuckling when he realized what was on her screen with her. "I'll be damned. You want to tell the old man?"

Kara glanced to Tigh and shook her head slowly, "I can't...I can't do that right now. I'm going to go back to Sam, I just..."

"It's alright." Saul gave her a pat on the back and watched as she walked away. He couldn't help but grin, knowing he'd make Bill's day. He knocked on the hatched to the old man's door before opening it, "Bill." He called.

Bill sat up from the bed slowly as he heard Saul's voice from the door and rubbed his eyes, "Yeah?" His voice was groggy.

"Starbuck found something strange on the DRADIS video from her bird. I think we found it, Bill. I think she was right. I think she was on Earth." He smirked.

Bill stood up from the bed and grabbed his jacket, buttoning it up quickly and slipped on his glasses. "Show me." He said as he quickly walked out the door and down to the hangar deck. "Where is Starbuck?"

"She went back to Anders." Saul walked him to the large Viper, "I left it on so you could see the spot. If you watch closely..." He gently turns the dial, "See? Right there. See that?" He grinned, he couldn't help it.

Bill climbed into the bird and looked at the DRADIS screen closely and carefully. "Get the coordinates and take them to CIC," He spoke as he climbed back down and looked at Saul smiling a little. "I'm going to send Kara to double check." He said nodding his head up and down as he made his way to sickbay. I the screen was correct, they had finally made it. They had found Earth, they had found their home. Walking to Sam's bed, he looked at the blond with her back turned to him and sighed, he walked slowly over and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Starbuck.." He said quietly.

Kara jumped ever so slightly, "Sir." She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She knew she'd be able to see the sorrow in his eyes and she just couldn't take it at that moment.

Bill watched the girl in front of him and sighed, "Starbuck, I need you to go check out those coordinates." He said looking at her and leaning down to make eye contact. "I think you found Earth." He said smiling a little.

"I told you I was there and you didn't believe me the first time. Why would you start now?" Her voice was quiet and hurt, "You had the last days with your girlfriend, why can't I have mine with my husband." Kara bit her lip, turning her head sideways, but not able to fully look at the man, "I'm not leaving him alone."

"Given the situation at hand, Kara, it was hard. But I did, so did Laura. Who do you think gave you Demetrius?" He asked as he looked at Sam and nodded his head. "I'll let you know what we find." He spoke as he turned and walked out of the sickbay, looking at the walls on the cracking ship, knowing Galactica was falling apart. Walking into the CIC, he looked at the logs and sighed, "Send Hotdog out to check these coordinates." He spoke as he looked at Saul and then back at the DRADIS.

Saul grinned, nodding, "Yes, Sir." He spoke on the intercom in the pilots room. Sending the young pilot off when he arrived to the CIC. He pat his friend on the arm when they were alone again, "Earth, Bill."

He took in a deep breath and nodded his head, "I hope so." He said as he watched the map as the viper went out of the hangar deck. They were all tired, tired of searching, he was ready to get everyone off these ships and give them what he had been promising for years. The CIC was quiet, everyone was waiting for the report back from Hotdog. Bill prayed to the Gods that this was the place they had been looking for.

Hotdog made another pass and couldn't help laughing to himself, "Sir, It's...There's animals and green grass and...and an ocean." He grins, being sure to capture video of it all, "We've found Earth."

Tigh claps his hands together, laughing as he looked to his friend, "Thank you, Laura Roslin." He cheers, looking to his best friend. This had been a long time coming. Ellen always thought of it as a pipe dream, but Caprica thought it would be real. There were many discussions that occurred with both the women in his life, "We found it, Bill."

Bill smiled when seeing the video footage through the screen and closed his eyes, feeling overwhelmed with joy and happiness. "Return to Galactica, Hotdog." He said as he grabbed the receiver and came over the intercom. "People of the fleet, this is the Admiral. It's been a very long journey, we have lost and gained many loved ones throughout this fight. But this is the moment we have all been praying for to come, I am happy to announce that we have found Earth. We are going home." Hanging up the receiver, he listened to the many cheers throughout the ship and smiled a little to himself. "Thank you, Laura." He mumbled as he patted Saul on the back and smiled.

Hotdog jogged to the CIC, having noticed something odd on his passings by, "Sir, I noticed something." He tries to say over everyone cheering, looking unsure how to say anything.

Bill arched his eyebrow and moved over to an empty corner of the room, "What is it, Hotdog?" He asked looking at the young man.

Brandon Constanza looked at the Admiral and swallowed, "There were lifeforms down there, but I think I might have seen a house or something. Some kind of shelter...It's on minute seventeen of the video." He nodded, "I'm almost sure of it, Sir."

Bill listened and looked at the boy before going over to the screen slowly and tracking back on the small monitor, "It looks like a cabin or something.." He said arching his eyebrows as he motioned over Saul. "Brandon, get Lee and go get a team ready at the hangar deck. We need to go check this out before we allow anyone from the fleet on there."

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary. The rest of the planet is safe, aside from the animals of course, but...it's safe." He nods, "Of course, I'll do whatever your orders are, but I don't believe much should be done about this one thing."

"I'm not taking any chances." He said, knowing how long it took them, he was not just going to let the fleet go off until he was one hundred percent sure. He looked over at Saul and nodded his head, "We have come to far to get careless."

"Sir, what could it be?" He shook his head, not understanding the man's apprehension.

Bill stopped and looked at it, going over all the video footage a couple of more times, "Fine. Starting separating the fleet on ships and taking them down." He said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, Sir." Hotdog nodded to him, jogging from the room.

Saul smirked to his friend, "We have some packing to do."

"I guess so." He said looking around at the now empty CIC and sighed, moving out of the room slowly. Looking around the halls at all the people crying, cheering and enjoying the moment. He smiled as he walked into his quarters and sighed. Not only did he have to pack his things, but also Laura's.

Tigh walked with him, shaking hands and nodding to onlookers, "Do you need some help? I'm sure you have more than I do."

"That would be great, thanks." He said as he began to pull out boxes, "Just.. be careful with her stuff, alright?" He said as he gave his friend a sad look and then nodded his head as he went to the cabinets and began to get clothes.

Saul sighed, "She got us here, Bill. She fulfilled the prophecy like she said would happen." He slowly packed the woman's suits, exercise clothing, and shoes. "You're taking this all with you? I mean...you didn't want to give it away or something?"

"Her stuff goes in her- our cabin." He said looking over at the man, "It would not be right." He said quietly as he continued to fold things and put them away in the boxes.

He knew the wounds were still fresh and his friend was still grieving. Saul continued to pack her things, "No one has a lot of things. She told me once that Cottle was the one to get her some things while on New Caprica because all she had were three suits for the rest of her life. Can you believe that?" He chuckled to himself.

He smirked and nodded his head, "She loved those suits." He said quietly, "I just want to get her scarves and books." He said pointing over to the shelf they had as the Library. Luckily, Bill and Laura had the same taste in literature.

Saul nodded, doing as asked, he slowly folds the boxes up, stacking them together, "I'll see you down there." He smirked to him, heading out.

Bill looked around the now empty room and sighed, it took so long to fill it up and in under a few minutes everything was packed up. He sighed and turned off the light, closing the door behind him and heading down to the hangar deck. He looked around the ship, saying his goodbyes. Galactica was falling apart minute by minute, it was a good thing they found Earth when they did because it couldn't survive another jump. Getting in his own viper, he put on his helmet and flew out of the deck, taking a trip around the ship, watching as the rest of the fleet went down in trips to drop people off. He smiled and headed down to earth slowly, ready for whatever was coming.


	11. Chapter 11

The caravans of people descended from the heavens onto the land called Earth. It was beautiful here. There were fresh, fertile fields and water so blue, you could see right through it. Humans and Cylons were finally living together peacefully and even creating families together. It was a phenomenon no one thought would ever happen in their time, but the Agathons proved that it was possible, as did Saul Tigh and the one they called Caprica between two cylons. They were all equals now.

Karl Agathon looked over the maps compiled by fly overs of the land with the other military officials, nodding to them, "We can't really tell where the cabin was that Hotdog saw, or if it even existed." He sighs, "I'm sorry, Sir. It's going to be a try by try basis until we get this map to perfection and even then, there will be mistakes."

Saul shook his head, "Bullshit, we'll find it." He mumbled, "I don't really see a reason for seeking it out though. This have something to do with Roslin, Bill?"

"Someone could be living there, another species, more humans, but it's our job to find them. Don't you find it strange out of this entire clear land, there is one house built on it?" He asked looking at Saul. "If you all don't want to find it, that's fine. But I am going to see what is there."

"We had enough trouble with another species before." Tigh mumbled, then shook his head because he realized he was speaking of his people, "There is no one here. Literally no one. Are you sure you weren't just seeing something? Fallen trees or something?"

"I'm not the only who saw it, Hotdog did too. See." He said pulling back up the video footage and showing the man. "Tell me that's a tree again." He said in a annoyed tone of voice. "You don't know that anyone is not on here, have you looked everywhere yourself, Saul? No. None of us have."

Helo shook his head, "We'll take a look. It's not a big deal. Maybe if we take a non-military approach to this, it may be easier."

"I don't care what approach it is, let's just do something about it." He said shaking his head and walking over to the other side of the tent to check in on the other groups.

Saul nodded, "You heard the old man." He walked off to his women.

"Fine." Karl grumbled to himself, walking back to the shelter he and his wife put together, he noticed his daughter playing outside, "Careful, Hera." He called to her, smiling as he ducked into the small space.

Hera nodded her head up and down, "Okay, Daddy." She called back as she ran around with her teddy bear in hand letting it and herself explore the new land. Finding a patch of flowers in a spot away from the campsite they had set up, she walked over and sat down and began to pick them. Putting a few in the teddy bear's paw and began to take off the pedals. Outside was quiet, birds were chirping up in the very tall trees and there were butterflies moving around the patch.

A woman with wild auburn hair attempts to pick edible greens from the forest not far from the stream. She had been alone for so long it seemed. Too long. She had learned to hunt and care for herself. This had to be the other end of the river she had crossed, but this wasn't what she had expected. This contained none of her dead relatives or anyone or anything she knew. She sighed, leaning back on her legs. She closed her eyes a moment and allowed for the sun to hit her face.

Once Hera became bored with the flowers- which didn't take long at all, she stood to her feet and held onto her teddy bear as she watched a butterfly go into the trees. Tilting her head to the side, she began to follow it, going carefully down the hill and then stopped whenever she saw water. Placing the bear on a big rock, she walked over towards the end and sat down, sticking her hands in the water.

The woman caught sight of the girl and couldn't help but grin, "Hera?" She murmured quietly to herself mostly, unsure if she should say anything or do anything. Unsure if she should even approach the girl. If she was here, that must mean she was dead and the woman's smile quickly faded. The fear began to rise in the woman and she shook her head furiously, "No...no...not you. It wasn't supposed to happen to you." She whispered to herself.

Hera heard someone talking and looked around, taking her hands out of the water, she smiled when she saw Laura. Picking up her teddy bear, she walked over slowly and looked down at the bracelet the woman had given her back on the rebel Cylon baseship and climbed up the small hill. Going over and sitting in her lap, she giggled and hugged her.

"Oh my gods." Laura could feel the tears streak down her cheeks as she held the little girl tightly. "I have missed you so much...far too much, Hera." She nodded, stroking the girl's black ringlet curls. "You're wearing my bracelet, I see." It made her so happy to know that the girl actually kept the bracelet that once meant so much to her. It made her happy that Hera Agathon actually wanted to remember her.

Hera giggled and nodded her head, "You want it back?" She asked as she held her teddy bear under her arm and played with the older woman's hair.

"No, I gave it to you for you to have." She smiled, quickly wiping the wet trails from her cheeks. Laura realized that the girl may not remember seeing her this way, "Like the hair? A lot different than the wig or a scarf, huh?"

"It doesn't come off." She said smiling brightly and then stopped, "Why did you leave? Did you not like us anymore?" She asked tilting her head to the side and let go of the woman's hair.

"No, I...I crossed the river just like you did." Laura looked the girl in the eye, hoping she'd know what she was referring to. "Were there others or is it just you and I now?"

Hera became very confused, "I didn't cross the river. I can't swim." She said shaking her head, "Duh." Holding onto her teddy bear, she listened to the next question and turned her head to the way she came into the forest and pointed. "Everybody came down on the Galactica."

"No...they...Everyone?" She swallowed, "Will you show me, Hera?" Laura slowly stood, holding onto the girl's hand as they walked to where she was pointing to, "You must show me."

Hera held onto Laura's hand and her teddy bear and began to skip around before coming to the end of the forest, pointing to the campsite the fleet had set up. "See?" She said giggling as she pulled the woman's hand as she walked towards the others.

"Is Bill-" Laura paused, walking toward them, "Is the Admiral with them?" It didn't matter that she was wearing next to nothing or that she appeared disheveled to say the very least. None of that mattered to her if she could see Bill again.

Hera nodded her head up and down and pointed over to the main tent where Bill and Saul were standing. "Want me to get him?" She asked, swinging the woman's hand back and forth.

A smile crept across Laura's face as she shook her head, "I can...I can handle this." She let go of the girl's hand and began to step closer to him, "Bill." Her voice was small and filled with emotion.

Saul Tigh turned first, holding a cigarette between his lips, "What the frak?" He grumbled from the side of his mouth, his eyes widening, "What the hell is this?"

Hera took her teddy bear and went back to the patch of flowers and began to pick more of them.

Bill turned around when hearing his name and stopped, seeing the woman. The woman he had sent out of airlock, the woman he had watched die. "Laura.." He said not knowing what to do, not knowing if she was real or not.

Tigh's hand quickly goes to his sidearm, only knowing one way to deal with the unknown.

Laura jogged the rest of the way to him in her bare feet, wrapping her arms around him, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she buried her face into his shoulder.

Bill stood still as the woman and looked at Saul, seeing him go for his sidearm and shook his head. Slowly and reluctantly, he placed his arms around the woman and held her tightly. "How did you get here?"

She didn't want to let him go, "I was on a boat...crossing the river. I saw my family and, I got off to hug them, but instead...instead I ended up here. Naked and..." Laura shrugged, "I don't know. I don't want to know anymore." She kissed his lips tenderly.

Saul rolled his eyes, "I don't trust this, Bill. She should be questioned."

Bill stood still as he listened to Saul and then pulled back looking at the woman, just taking it all in. "Get her some clothes.." He said as he looked over at the man and then back at her, still standing still. "You died..." He said quietly as thoughts of Kara Thrace's second arrival came flooding into his head.

"I know." She looked down at her handmade clothing with whatever animal hyde she could find, "I...You read Searider Falcon to me during my treatments. When I realized I wasn't getting out of there alive, we lit up one of those joints made from the grass on New Caprica. You would hold me at night and tell me you were glad I didn't have any hair because it just got in the way...just to make me feel better." She grinned to him, "You traded in three sets of your old pins to get me that purple scarf because you knew I was tired of the blue one and just wanted something that was my favorite color." Laura swallowed, the tears returning to her eyes as she brings her hand to her own face to quickly wipe one that had escaped. She licked her lips, looking at him, "I built a cabin with what fallen lumber I could find...it took me so long..." She shook her head, "I don't know what to say...what to do to make you believe me..."

Bill's eyes burned with tears as he listened to the woman speak, telling him all of the personal things that happened aboard Galactica. And in that moment he realized he didn't care what Laura was or was not, she was there and that was all that was important to him. She was back with him, she had made the cabin of her dreams that he was determined to give her and the love he had for her was still there. He brought his hand up and wiped the tears from her face, and then ran his fingers through her thick, full set of hair and laughed a little. "I guess you are sad it didn't come back blue?" He asked as tears escaped his own eyes.

"I've come to terms with it." Laura smiled, looking down at herself again, "I must look like some sort of back woods cave woman."

"Just a little." He said as he looked down at her clothing and back at her face, taking her in, still feeling like she was a ghost. Bill took in a deep breath, and mumbled, "You look so much younger.." He said laughing and held her hand in his own.

"Hair will do that." Laura nodded, then shrugged, "I've only seen myself through reflections in the stream by the cabin, A few years maybe. I don't understand why though."

Saul returned with a stack of clothing in his hand, looking at the woman without much trust, he held it out to her, "Are we taking her to the brig?"

Laura quickly took the clothing from his outstretched hand, "Thank you, Colonel Tigh." She nodded, looking through them, "Where did these even come from..." She paused, "No, wait, I don't want to know." She sighed, "I should head back to the cabin to change."

Bill put two and two together and brought her over to the video footage, "Is this it?" He asked pointing to the still image and then looked back at Laura.

Laura quickly nodded, "Of course." She smiled to him, "You should bring your things up."

Bill looked back at Saul and shook his head to his question. "I packed your suits." He said quietly as he went to wrap his arm around the woman like he had done many times before to help her walk, but then stopped himself. "I'd like to see the cabin."

"You did?" Laura smiled, then shook her head, "But I died Bill. You were going to keep my suits?" She leaned her head on him as she led him up the hill.

"They needed to go in your cabin," He spoke quietly as held onto her hand walking up the hill and looking around. "We found Earth." He said smiling.

"This is...This is Earth?" She swallowed, "Oh thank gods, I thought the Galactica exploded...I saw Hera and..." Laura shrugged, "I thought the worst...I thought you were all dead and ended up here...just like I did."

Bill laughed and smiled, shaking his head. "No, she didn't explode." He said speaking about the ship and kissed the top of her head.

"What happened to her? Why didn't you land her?" Laura shook her head, opening the door to the rickety log cabin, "It could have been completed better, but...it was a project. How long has it been since I've been gone for you?"

"I thought it would be best to leave her in one piece, not take the risk in completely destroying her." He said quietly, as he stepped inside of the cabin and smiled, nodding his head seeing a few mistakes that he could fix in no time. "Couple of days." He spoke as he ran his hand over the wall.

"Is that all?" She watched him, closing the door once he entered. "I'm changing so..." Laura shrugged, looking through the clothing she was provided. She didn't know where they came from or even if she wanted to know, she just put them on. "I'm a little thinner than I was before, but...these should do." She smiled, laughing a little at the combat boots and fatigue pants, "I think you always wanted to see me in a uniform."

He nodded his head and kept looking around at the cabin, with his back turned. He smirked and looked at the woman whenever she was finished changing and laughed, "Today is my lucky day." He spoke as he walked slowly over to her and placed both hands on her hips and looked into her sea-green eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to grieve." Laura replied softly, leaning up to kiss him softly, "I'm pretty lucky too. It's like I've been here alone for months. There were a few deer that have been coming closer and closer to me...to the house. They lead me to the edible berries." She giggles to herself a little, "I'm not one for roughing it, Bill." She runs a hand through her large red mane.

He smiled as he pressed a kiss back onto her lips and rubbed her back, "I think you have done a wonderful job so far." He mumbled as he pulled her closer to his own body, just needing her to be there. No space between them. Taking back off his ring, he slid it onto her finger and kissed the top of her hand.

She shook her head, "Were you able to bring anything from the ship? All of these things were...I mean, the bed is just twigs covered in the big leaves from that tree down the way. Everything is uncomfortable and I've found myself sleeping on the floor as of late...the unfinished floor." Laura bit her lip with a small smile, "This all must look so ridiculous...like a child put it together..."

Bill laughed hard and shook his head, "We have materials, Laura. You will sleep on a bed tonight, and if you're good I'll even add in a pillow and sheets." He said as he looked down at her, "It looks like the start of a new home." He said nodding his head and glanced around the place.

"Stop, you're going to make me cry." She smirked, wrapping her arms around him, "Did the rest of our people make it here safely?"

He kissed the inside of her neck a couple of times whenever she told him she might cry and smirked, "Every single one of them made it here safely."

"Tory as well?" She swallowed, "I know you hate what she did to me and I do too, but...we've still been through a great deal together, her and I." Laura reached a hand up, stroking his pockmarked face, "Tigh and Caprica...They're all okay as well? Gaius Baltar?"

"Caprica and Saul are here, they lost their baby- their son, Liam. Gaius is here, and well, Tory..." He stopped and looked at her, "Tory killed herself after your funeral." He spoke quietly.

"Oh my gods." She whispered, pulling away from him a little to fold her arms around herself, "Caprica was so...Saul too...That explains why he's back to that." Laura bit her lip, "Tory..." She shook her head, "Tory didn't come back here with me."

Bill sighed and looked at Laura, taking off his glasses before rubbing his eyes a little. "Tory.. it was revealed that Tory was the one who killed Callie. She uh.. she put her out of the airlock after knocking her out."

"For what? To protect what she was?" Laura placed her hands on her hips.

Bill nodded his head up and down and watched the woman in front of him.

She tilted her head back, closing her eyes a moment, "Damn it." She whispered, "Tyrol and the boy are taken care of?"

"It was also revealed that Hotdog is the kid's dad, Tyrol is fine." Bill spoke as he looked out the window and out at the fleet.

"What the hell happened? I've only been dead a few days according to you." Laura's eyes were wide, shocked and unknowing how to handle the information for the most part. She missed when everyone had a place and each place was known and there were no secrets.

"All hell broke loose." Bill said quietly, "It was really all at once." Turning back to look at her and sighed, "Everything is better now though.." He spoke before walking to the door. "Come on, we need to go get our stuff."

"It isn't better, Bill." She swallowed, looking through the window before she continued, "Just because this is...this is Earth doesn't make everything better." Laura shook her head, knowing she couldn't just cry anymore.

Bill sighed and nodded his head, "There isn't much we can do, Laura. The fleet is being split up around the land and they aren't our responsibility anymore." He spoke as he placed a hand in the low of her back. "People can start over, we can start over." He spoke as he walked down to the tent.

"The...the survival of our..." Laura swallowed, licking her lips, her face uncertain as she placed her hands on her hips, "It's always our responsibility, Bill." She replied softly.

Bill continued to walk down the hill as he watched the teams separate the supplies evenly to be distributed to the spots where members of the fleet had been placed and stopped when finding his stack of boxes. Picking up a few, he placed them on a cart, and came back for the rest and then quietly moved back towards the cabin. He didn't know what to say, or what else he could do. The damage had been done, everyone was more than ready to go off on their own.

Laura remained close, helping where possible. Her strength had returned during the time she was on Earth, as long as everything else. She felt younger. She felt like all her energy was restored, which was saying much since she needed people to simply feed or bathe her not long before. She was a new person and she had no explanation for any of it.

After getting back to the cabin, Bill unloaded the boxes and then brought back down the cart, walking slowly as he watched the woman walk around and interact with everyone. It was like she had never been sick, she was a brand new person. His focus should have been on what to do next with the fleet, but his mind was stuck on Laura. He was still in shock by the whole situation, she was dead just a few days ago and now she was here, on Earth. She was smiling, running around and helping other people, lifting and carrying things, all on her own.

Laura grinned to the people, then jogged to him, "Sorry. You said there was a bed, or are you going to have one of the guys get it? You really shouldn't lift too much." Her voice ran freely, like water from her lips and she wasn't hindered with an inability to breathe. At that moment, she never felt better in all her life.

"I'm fine." He spoke, wrapping his arm around her waist as they moved slowly back down the hill, watching the members of the fleet.

"Me too." She hugged onto his torso as they walked.


End file.
